3 


:  ;,<:  :    : 
•  .    .   i , 


f  Cf  C        C  I  rf(<(  (  , 

<      '    .    I    .     ■  c        c  ' 


"Oh,  Kate!"  said  Dickory,  "you  should  have  seen  that 
wonderful  pirate  fight." 

(See  page  350.  "> 


KATE   BONNET 

Ctje  ttomance  of  a  pirate'*  E>augt)ter 


BY 


FRANK    R.  STOCKTON 


JUuBtratrt  bp  9L  %  Keller 

anD 

fe  &.  {kttee 


NEW   YORK    AND    LONDON 

D.  APPLETON   AND   COMPANY 
1914 


Copyright,   1901,  1902 
BY    D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY 


The  (BiutraftoM  in  this  book  were  copyrighted  individually  in  l'JOl  by  P.  F.  Collier  &  Son. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

I.  TWO    YOUNG    PEOPLE,    A    SHIP,    AND    A 

II.  A    FRUIT-BASKET    AND    A    FRIEND 

III.  The  two  clocks 

IV.  On  the  quarter-deck 

V.  An  unsuccessful  errand 

VI.  A    PAIR    OF    SHOES    AND    STOCKINGS 

VII.  Kate  plans        .... 

VIII.  Ben  Green  way  is  convinced  that 

pirate 

IX.  DlCKORY    SETS    FORTH  . 

X.  Captain  Christopher  Vince    . 

XL  Bad  weather     .... 

XII.  Face  to  face     .... 

XIII.  Captain  Bonnet  goes  to  church 

XIV.  A    GIRL   TO   THE    FRONT 

XV.  The  Governor  of  Jamaica 

XVI.  A  question  of  etiquette 

XVII.  An  ornamented  beard     . 

XVIII.  I    HAVE    NO    RIGHT;    I    AM    A    PIRATE 

XIX.  The  new  first  lieutenant      . 

XX.  One  north,  one  south 

XXI.  A    PROJECTED    MARRIAGE      . 

XXII.  Blade  to  blade 

XXIII.  The  address  of  the  letter    . 

XXIV.  Belize 


FISH 


Bon 


NET 


IS    A 


PAGE 
1 

11 

25 
35 
48 
61 
70 

79 
103 
11? 
132 
138 
147 
161 
165 
173 
187 
194 
203 
217 
223 
230 
245 
251 


SQ'MRK 


KATE   BONNET 


CHAPTBR  PAGE 

XXV.  Wise  Mr.  Delaplaine        ....  263 

XXVI.  DlCKORY   STRETCHES   HIS   LEGS        ....  276 

XXVII.  A   GIRL  WHO   LAUGHED  .  .  .  280 

XXVIII.  Lucilla's  ship 295 

XXIX.  Captain  Ichabod 308 

XXX.  Dame  Charter  makes  a  friend        .        .        .  320 

XXXI.  Mr.  Delaplaine  leads  a  boarding  party       .  330 

XXXII.  The  delivery  of  the  letter    ....  341 

XXXIII.  Blackbeard  gives  Greenway  some  difficult 

WORK 357 

XXXIV.  Captain  Thomas  of  the  Koyal  James     .        .  364 

XXXV.  A   CHAPTER   OF  HAPPENINGS 373 

XXXVI.  The  tide  decides 381 

XXXVII.  Bonnet  and  Greenway  part  company     .        .  392 

XXXVIII.  Again  Dickory  was  there        ....  399 

XXXIX.  The  blessings  which  come  from  the  death 

OF  THE  WICKED 405 

XL.  Captain  Ichabod  puts  the  case      .       .       .  409 


VI 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 


"Oh,  Kate  !"  said   Diekory,   "you  should  have  seen  that 
wonderful  pirate  fight "    .      .          .         .  Frontispiece 

"If  you  talk  to  me  like  that  I  will  cut  you  down  where 

you  stand  ! "  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .46 

"He  is  my  father  !"  said  Kate 124 

"Haste  ye!    haste    ye,"   cried    Diekory,    "they  will   leave 

you  behind "  . 155 

"Take  that,"  he  feebly  said,  "and  swear  that  it  shall  be 

delivered " 241 

Kate  and  her  father  in  the  warehouse        ....     260 

Lucilla  rescues  Diekory 337 

In  an  instant  Diekory  was  there  ,        ,        ,        ,     403 


vn 


KATE  BONNET 


CHAPTER    I 

TWO   YOUNG   PEOPLE,   A   SHIP,   AND    A   FISH 


month  was  September  and 
the   place   was   in   the   neigh- 
bourhood   of    Bridgetown,    in 
the  island  of  Barbadoes.    The 
eighteenth  century  was  not  eighteen  years  old. 
but  the  girl  who  walked  slowly  down  to  the  river 
bank  was  three  years  its  senior.    She  carried  a 
fishing-rod  and  line,  and  her  name  was  Kate 
Bonnet.     She  was  a  bright-faced,  quick-moving 
voung  person,  and  apparently  did  not  expect  to 
catch  many  fish,  for  she  had  no  basket  in  which 
to  carry  away  her  finny  prizes.    Nor,  apparently, 
did  she  have  any  bait,  except  that  which  was 
upon  her  hook  and  which  had  been  affixed  there 
by  one  of  the  servants  at  her  home,  not  far  away 
In  fact,  Mistress  Kate  was  too  nicely  dressed  and 
her  gloves  were  too  clean  to  have  much  to  do  with 

1 


KATE   BONNET 

fish  or  bait,  but  she  seated  herself  on  a  little  rock 
in  a  shady  spot  not  far  from  -ihe  water  and  threw 
forth  her  line.  Then  she  gazed  about  her;  a 
little  up  the  river  and  a  good  deal  down  the  river. 

It  was  truly  a  pleasant  scene  which  lay  be- 
fore her  eyes.  Not  half  a  mile  away  was  the 
bridge  which  gave  this  English  settlement  its 
name,  and  beyond  the  river  were  woods  and  cul- 
tivated fields,  with  here  and  there  a  little  bit  of 
smoke,  for  it  was  growing  late  in  the  afternoon, 
when  smoke  meant  supper.  Beyond  all  this  the 
land  rose  from  the  lower  ground  near  the  river 
and  the  sea,  in  terrace  after  terrace,  until  the 
upper  stretches  of  its  woodlands  showed  clear 
against  the  evening  sky. 

But  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  now  gazed  stead- 
ily down  the  stream,  beyond  the  town  and  the 
bridge,  and  paid  no  more  attention  to  the  scenery 
than  the  scenery  did  to  her,  although  one  was 
quite  as  beautiful  as  the  other. 

There  was  a  bunch  of  white  flowers  in  the 
hat  of  the  young  girl ;  not  a  very  large  one,  and 
not  a  very  small  one,  but  of  such  a  size  as  might 
be  easily  seen  from  the  bridge,  had  any  one  hap- 
pened to  be  crossing  about  that  time.  And,  in 
fact,  as  the  wearer  of  the  hat  and  the  white  flow- 
ers still  continued  to  gaze  at  the  bridge,  she  saw 
some  one  come  out  upon  it  with  a  quick,  buoyant 
step,  and  then  she  saw  him  stop  and  gaze  stead- 
ily up  the  river.  At  this  she  turned  her  head, 
and  her  eyes  went  out  over  the  beautiful  land- 

2 


TWO  PEOPLE,  A  SHIP,  AND  A  FISH 

scape  and  the  wide  terraces  rising  above  each 
other  towards  the  sky. 

It  is  astonishing  how  soon  after  this  a  young 
man,  dressed  in  a  brown  suit,  and  very  pleasant 
to  look  upon,  came  rapidly  walking  along  the 
river  bank.  This  was  Master  Martin  Xewcombe, 
a  young  Englishman,  not  two  years  from  his  na- 
tive land,  and  now  a  prosperous  farmer  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river. 

It  often  happened  that  Master  Xewcombe,  at 
the  close  of  his  agricultural  labours,  would  put 
on  a  good  suit  of  clothes  and  ride  over  the  bridge 
to  the  town,  to  attend  to  business  or  to  social 
duties,  as  the  case  might  be.  But,  sometimes, 
not  willing  to  encumber  himself  with  a  horse,  he 
walked  over  the  bridge  and  strolled  or  hurried 
along  the  river  bank.  This  was  one  of  the  times 
in  which  he  hurried.  He  had  been  caught  by 
the  vision  of  the  bunch  of  white  flowers  in  the 
hat  of  the  girl  who  was  seated  on  the  rock  in 
shade. 

As  Master  Xewcombe  stepped  near,  his  spir- 
its rose,  as  they  had  not  always  risen,  as  he 
approached  Mistress  Kate,  for  he  perceived 
that,  although  she  held  the  handle  of  her  rod 
in  her  hand,  the  other  end  of  it  was  lying  on 
the  ground,  not  very  far  away  from  the  bait  and 
the  hook  which,  it  was  very  plain,  had  not  been 
in  the  water  at  all.  She  must  have  been  think- 
ing of  something  else  besides  fishing,  he  thought. 
But  he  did  not  dare  to  go  on  with  that  sort  of 

3 


KATE   BONNET 

thinking  in  the  way  he  would  have  liked  to  do 
it.  He  had  not  too  great  a  belief  in  himself, 
though  he  was  very  much  in  love  with  Kate 
Bonnet. 

"  Is  this  the  best  time  of  day  for  fishing, 
Master  Newcombef  "  she  said,  without  rising  or 
offering  him  her  hand.  "  For  my  part,  I  don't 
believe  it  is. ' ' 

He  smiled  as  he  threw  his  hat  upon  the 
ground.  ' '  Let  me  put  your  line  a  little  farther 
out. ' '  And  so  saying,  he  took  the  rod  from  her 
hand  and  stepped  between  her  and  the  bait,  which 
must  have  been  now  quite  hot  from  lying  so  long 
in  a  bit  of  sunshine.  He  rearranged  the  bait 
and  threw  the  line  far  out  into  the  river.  Then 
he  gave  her  the  rod  again.  He  seated  himself 
on  the  ground  near-by. 

"  This  is  the  second  time  I  have  been  over 
the  bridge  to-day, ' '  he  said.  ' '  and  this  morning, 
very  early,  I  saw,  for  the  first  time,  your  father 's 
ship,  which  was  lying  below  the  town.  It  is  a 
fine  vessel,  so  far  as  I  can  judge,  being  a  lands- 
man. ' ' 

' '  Yes, ' '  said  she, ' '  and  I  have  been  on  board 
of  her  and  have  gone  all  over  her,  and  have  seen 
many  things  which  are  queer  and  strange  to  me; 
But  the  strangest  thing  about  her,  to  my  mind, 
being  a  landswoman,  is,  that  she  should  belong 
to  my  father.  There  are  many  things  which 
he  has  not,  which  it  would  be  easy  to  believe  he 
would  like  to  have,  but  that  a  ship,  with  sails 

4 


TWO  PEOPLE,  A  SHIP,  AND  A  FISH 

and  anchors  and  hatchways,  should  be  one  of 
these  things,  it  is  hard  to  imagine. " 

Young  Xewconibe  thought  it  was  impossible 
to  imagine,  but  he  expressed  himself  discreetly. 

"  It  must  be  that  he  is  going  to  engage  in 
trade,"  he  said;  "  has  he  not  told  you  of  his 
intentions ! 

"  Not  much,"  said  she.  "  He  says  he  is 
going  to  cruise  about  among  the  islands,  and 
when  I  asked  him  if  he  would  take  me,  he 
laughed,  and  answered  that  he  might  do  so,  but 
that  I  must  never  say  a  word  of  it  to  Madam 
Bonnet,  for  if  she  heard  of  it  she  might  change 
his  plans."      j 

The  wicked  young  man  found  himself  almost 
wishing  that  the  somewhat  bad-tempered  Madam 
Bonnet  might  hear  of  and  change  any  plan 
which  might  take  her  husband's  daughter  from 
this  town,  especially  in  a  vessel;  for  vessels 
were  always  terribly  tardy  when  any  one  was 
waiting  for  their  return.  And,  besides,  it 
often  happened  that  vessels  never  came  back 
at  all. 

"  I  shall  take  a  little  trip  with  him  even  if 
we  don't  go  far;  it  would  be  ridiculous  for  my 
father  to  own  a  ship,  and  for  me  never  to  sail 
in  her. ' ' 

"  That  would  not  be  so  bad,"  said  Master 
Martin,  feeling  that  a  short  absence  might  be 
endured.  Moreover,  if  a  little  pleasure  trip  were 
to  be  made,  it  was  reasonable  enough  to  suppose 


KATE   BONNET 

that  other  people,  not  belonging  to  the  Bonnet 
family,  might  be  asked  to  sail  as  guests. 

' '  What  my  father  expects  to  trade  in, ' '  said 
she  contemplatively  gazing  before  her,  "  I  am 
sure  I  do  not  know.  It  cannot  be  horses  or  cat- 
tle, for  he  has  not  enough  of  them  to  make  such 
a  venture  profitable.  And  as  to  sugar-cane,  or 
anything  from  his  farm,  I  am  sure  he  has  a  good 
enough  market  here  for  all  he  has  to  sell.  Cer- 
tainly he  does  not  produce  enough  to  make  it 
necessary  for  him  to  buy  a  ship  in  order  to  carry 
them  away." 

"  It  is  opined, ' '  said  Martin,  ' '  by  the  people 
of  the  town,  that  Major  Bonnet  intends  to  be- 
come a  commercial  man,  and  to  carry  away  to 
the  other  islands,  and  perhaps  to  the  old  coun- 
try itself,  the  goods  of  other  people." 

"  Now  that  would  be  fine!  "  said  Mistress 
Kate,  her  eyes  sparkling,  "  for  I  should  then 
surely  go  with  him,  and  would  see  the  world, 
and  perhaps  London."  And  her  face  flushed 
with  the  prospect. 

Martin's  face  did  not  flush.  "  But  if  your 
father 's  ship  sailed  on  a  long  voyage, ' '  he  said, 
with  a  suspicion  of  apprehension, ' '  he  would  not 
sail  with  her;  he  would  send  her  under  the 
charge  of  others. ' ' 

The  girl  shook  her  head.  "  When  she  sails," 
said  she,  ' '  he  sails  in  her.  If  you  had  heard  him 
talking  as  I  have  heard  him,  you  would  not  doubt 
that.    And  if  he  sails,  I  sail." 

6 


TWO  PEOPLE,  A  SHIP,  AND  A  FISH 

Martin's  soul  grew  quite  sad.  There  were 
very  good  reasons  to  believe  that  this  dear  girl 
might  sail  away  from  Bridgetown,  and  from 
him.  She  might  come  back  to  the  town,  but  she 
might  not  come  back  to  him. 

"  Mistress  Kate,"  said  he,  looking  very  ear- 
nestly at  her,  "  do  you  know  that  such  speech 
as  this  makes  my  heart  sink?  You  know  I  love 
you,  I  have  told  you  so  before.  If  you  were 
to  sail  away,  I  care  not  to  wUat  port,  this  world 
would  be  a  black  place  for  me." 

"  That  is  like  a  lover,"  she  exclaimed  a  little 
pertly;  "  it  is  like  them  all,  every  man  of  them. 
They  must  have  what  they  want,  and  they  must 
have  it,  no  matter  who  else  may  surfer." 
He  rose  and  stood  by  her. 
"  But  I  don't  want  you  to  suffer,"  he  said. 
"  Do  you  think  it  would  be  suffering  to  live  with 
one  who  loved  you,  who  would  spend  his  whole 
life  in  making  you  happy,  who  would  look  upon 
you  as  the  chief  thing  in  the  world,  and  have 
no  other  ambition  than  to  make  himself  worthy 

ofvou?" 

She  looked  up  at  him  with  a  little  smile. 

"  That  would,  doubtless,  be  all  very  pleasant 
for  you, ' '  she  said, ' '  and  in  order  that  you  might 
be  pleased,  you  would  have  her  give  up  so  much. 
That  is  the  way  with  men!  Now,  here  am  I, 
born  in  the  very  end  of  the  last  century,  and 
having  had,  consequently,  no  good  out  of  that, 
and  with  but  seventeen  years  in  this  century, 


KATE   BONNET 

and  most  of  it  passed  in  girlhood  and  in  school ; 
and  now,  when  the  world  might  open  before  me 
for  a  little,  here  you  come  along  and  tell  me 
all  that  you  would  like  to  have,  and  that  you 
would  like  me  to  give  up. ' ' 

"  But  you  should  not  think,"  said  he,  and 
that  was  all  he  said,  for  at  that  moment  Kate 
Bonnet  felt  a  little  jerk  at  the  end  of  her  line, 
and  then  a  good  strong  pull. 

"  I  have  a  fish!  "  she  cried,  and  sprang  to 
her  feet.  Then,  with  a  swoop,  she  threw  into 
the  midst  of  the  weeds  and  wild  flowers  a  strug- 
gling fish  which  Martin  hastened  to  take  from 
the  hook. 

"  A  fine  fellow!  "  he  cried,  "  and  he  has  ar- 
rived just  in  time  to  make  a  dainty  dish  for  your 
supper. ' ' 

' '  Ah,  no !  "  she  said,  winding  the  line  about 
her  rod ; ll  if  I  were  to  take  that  fish  to  the  house, 
it  would  sorely  disturb  Madam  Bonnet.  She 
would  object  to  my  catching  it;  she  would  object 
to  having  it  prepared  for  the  table;  she  would 
object  to  having  it  eaten,  when  she  had  arranged 
that  we  should  eat  something  else.  No,  I  will 
give  it  to  you,  Master  Newcombe ;  I  suppose  in 
your  house  you  can  cook  and  eat  what  you 
please. ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  he;  "but  how  delightful  it 
would  be  if  we  could  eat  it  together." 

"  Meaning,"  said  she,  "  that  I  should  never 
eat  other  fish  than  those  from  this  river.     No, 

8 


TWO  PEOPLE,  A  SHIP,  AND  A  FISH 

sir;  that  may  not  be.  I  have  a  notion  that  the 
first  foreign  fish  I  shall  eat  will  be  found  in  the 
island  of  Jamaica,  for  my  father  said,  that  possi- 
bly he  might  first  take  a  trip  there,  where  lives 
my  mother 's  brother,  whom  we  have  not  seen  for 
a  long  time.  But,  as  I  told  you  before,  nobody 
must  know  this.  And  now  I  must  go  to  my 
supper,  and  you  must  take  yours  home  with 
you. ' ' 

1 '  And  I  am  sure  it  will  be  the  sweetest  fish, ' ' 
he  said,  "  that  was  ever  caught  in  all  these  wa- 
ters. But  I  beg,  before  you  go,  you  will  promise 
me  one  thing." 

1 '  Promise  you !  ' '  said  she,  quite  loftily. 

'  *  Yes, ' '  he  answered ;  ' '  tell  me  that,  no  mat- 
ter  where  you  go,  you  will  not  leave  Bridgetown 
without  letting  me  know  of  it?  " 

"  I  will  not,  indeed,"  said  she;  "  and  if  it 
is  to  Jamaica  we  go,  perhaps  my  father— but  no, 
I  don't  believe  he  will  do  that.  He  will  be  too 
much  wrapped  up  in  his  ship  to  want  for  com- 
pany to  whom  he  must  attend  and  talk." 

1 '  Ah !  there  would  be  no  need  of  that !  ' '  said 
Newcombe,  with  a  lover's  smile. 

She  smiled  back  at  him. 

1  i  Good-night !  ' '  she  said,  ' '  and  see  to  it  that 
you  eat  your  fish  to-night  while  it  is  so  fresh." 
Then  she  ran  up  the  winding  path  to  her  home. 

He  stood  and  looked  after  her  until  she  had 
disappeared  among  the  shrubbery,  after  which 
he  walked  away. 

2  9 


KATE  BONNET 

11  I  should  have  said  more  than  I  did,"  he 
reflected ;  ' '  seldom  have  I  had  so  good  a  chance 
to  speak  and  urge  my  case.  It  was  that  con- 
founded ship.  Her  mind  is  all  for  that  and  not 
for  me." 


10 


CHAPTER   II 


A  FRUIT-BASKET  AND   A   FRIEND 


L 


T^ 


r 


v> 


AJOB  STEDE  BONNET,  the 
,v^  father  of  Kate,  whose  mother 
had  died  when  the  child  was 
but  a  year  old,  was  a  middle- 
aged  Englishman  of  a  fair  estate,  in  the  island 
of  Barbadoes.  He  had  been  an  officer  in  the 
army,  was  well  educated  and  intelligent,  and 
now,  in  vigorous  middle  life,  had  become  a  con- 
firmed country  gentleman.  His  herds  and  his 
crops  were,  to  him,  the  principal  things  on  earth, 
with  the  exception  of  his  daughter ;  for,  although 
he  had  married  for  the  second  time,  there  were 
a  good  many  things  which  he  valued  more  than 
his  wife.  And  it  had  therefore  occasioned  a  good 
deal  of  surprise,  and  more  or  less  small  talk 
among  his  neighbours,  that  Major  Bonnet  should 
want  to  buy  a  ship.  But  he  had  been  a  soldier 
in  his  youth,  and  soldiers  are  very  apt  to  change 
their  manner  of  living,  and  so,  if  Major  Bonnet 
had  grown  tired  of  his  farm  and  had  dete named 

11 


KATE  BONNET 

to  go  into  commercial  enterprises,  it  was  not,  per- 
haps, a  very  amazing  thing  that  a  military  man 
who  had  turned  planter  should  now  turn  to  be 
something  else. 

Madam  Bonnet  had  heard  of  the  ship,  al- 
though she  had  not  been  told  anything  about 
her  step-daughter  taking  a  trip  in  her,  and  if  she 
had  heard  she  might  not  have  objected.  She 
had  regarded,  in  an  apparently  careless  manner, 
her  husband 's  desire  to  navigate  the  sea ;  for,  no 
matter  to  what  point  he  might  happen  to  sail, 
his  ship  would  take  him  away  from  Barbadoes, 
and  that  would  very  well  suit  her.  She  was  get- 
ting tired  of  Major  Bonnet.  She  did  not  believe 
he  had  ever  been  a  very  good  soldier;  she  was 
positively  sure  that  he  was  not  a  good  farmer; 
and  she  had  the  strongest  kind  of  doubt  as  to 
his  ability  as  a  commercial  man.  But  as  this 
new  business  would  free  her  from  him,  at  least 
for  a  time,  she  was  well  content;  and,  although 
she  should  feel  herself  somewhat  handicapped 
by  the  presence  of  Kate,  she  did  not  intend  to 
allow  that  young  lady  to  interfere  with  hei  plans 
and  purposes  during  the  absence  of  the  head  of 
the  house.  So  she  went  her  way,  saying  nothing 
derisive  about  the  nautical  life,  except  what  she 
considered  it  necessary  for  her  to  do,  in  order 
to  maintain  her  superior  position  in  the  house- 
hold. 

Major  Bonnet  was  now  very  much  engaged 
and  a  good  deal  disturbed,  for  he  found  that 

12 


A  FRUIT-BASKET   AND   A  FRIEND 

projected  sailing,  even  in  one's  own  craft,  is  not 
always  smooth  sailing.  He  was  putting  his  ves- 
sel in  excellent  order,  and  was  fitting  her  out 
generously  in  the  way  of  stores  and  all  manner 
of  nautical  needfuls,  not  forgetting  the  guns 
necessary  for  defence  in  these  somewhat  dis- 
ordered times,  and  his  latest  endeavours  were 
towards  the  shipping  of  a  suitable  crew.  Sea- 
faring men  were  not  scarce  in  the  port  of  Bridge- 
town, but  Major  Bonnet,  now  entitled  to  be 
called  "  Captain,"  was  very  particular  about 
his  crew,  and  it  took  him  a  long  time  to  collect 
suitable  men. 

As  he  was  most  truly  a  landsman,  knowing 
nothing  about  the  sea  or  the  various  intricate 
methods  of  navigating  a  vessel  thereupon,  he  was 
compelled  to  secure  a  real  captain— one  who 
would  be  able  to  take  charge  of  the  vessel  and 
crew,  and  who  would  do,  and  have  done,  in  a 
thoroughly  seamanlike  manner,  what  his  nom- 
inal skipper  should  desire  and  ordain. 

This  absolutely  necessary  personage  had 
been  secured  amiQst  as  soon  as  the  vessel  had 
been  purchased,  before  any  of  the  rest  of  the 
crew  had  signed  ship's  articles;  and  it  was  un- 
der his  general  supervision  that  the  storing  and 
equipment  had  been  carried  on.  His  name  was 
Sam  Loftus.  He  was  a  big  man  with  a  great 
readiness  of  speech.  There  were,  perhaps,  some 
things  he  could  not  do,  but  there  seemed  to  be 
nothing  that  he  was  not  able  to  talk  about.    As 

13 


KATE   BONNET 

lias  been  said,  the  rest  of  the  crew  came  in  slowly, 
but  they  did  come,  and  Major  Bonnet  told  his 
daughter  that  when  he  had  secured  four  more 
men,  it  was  his  intention  to  leave  port. 

' '  And  sail  for  Jamaica  ?  ' '  she  exclaimed. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  said,  with  an  affectionate 
smile,  "  and  I  will  leave  you  with  your  Uncle 
Delaplaine,  where  you  can  stay  while  I  make 
some  little  cruises  here  and  there." 

1 '  And  so  I  am  really  to  go  ?  "  she  exclaimed, 
her  eyes  sparkling. 

"  Really  to  go,"  said  he. 

"  And  what  may  I  pack  up?  "  she  asked, 
thinking  of  her  step-mother. 

1 '  Not  much, ' '  he  said,  ' '  not  much.  We  will 
be  able  to  find  at  Spanish  Town  something 
braver  in  the  way  of  apparel  than  anything  you 
now  possess.  It  will  be  some  days  before  we 
sail,  and  I  shall  have  quietly  conveyed  on  board 
such  belongings  as  you  need. ' ' 

She  was  very  happy,  and  she  laughed. 

"  Yours  will  be  an  easily  laden  ship,"  said 
she,  "  for  you  take  in  with,  you  no  great  store 
of  goods  for  traffic.  But  I  suppose  you  design 
to  pick  up  your  cargo  among  the  islands  where 
you  cruise,  and  at  a  less  cost,  perchance,  than 
it  could  be  procured  here?  " 

' '  Yes,  yes, ' '  he  said ; ' '  you  have  hit  it  fairly, 
my  little  girl,  you  have  hit  it  fairly." 

New  annoyances  now  began  to  beset  Major 
Bonnet.     What  his  daughter  had  remarked  in 

14 


A  FRUIT-BASKET  AND  A  FRIEND 

pleasantry,  the  people  of  the  town  began  to  talk 
about   unpleasantly.     Here   was   a   good-sized 
craft  about  to  set  sail,  with  little  or  no  cargo, 
hut  with  a  crew  apparently  much  larger  than  her 
requirements,  but  not  yet  large  enough  for  the 
desires  of  her  owner.     To  be  sure,  as  Major 
Bonnet  did  not  know  anything  about  ships,  he 
vas  bound  to  do  something  odd  when  he  bought 
one  and  set  forth  to  sail  upon  her,  but  there 
were  some  odd  things  which  ought  to  be  looked 
into ;  and  there  were  people  who  advised  that  the 
attention  of  the  colonial  authorities  should  be 
drawn  to  this  ship  of  their  fanner  townsman. 
Alajor  Bonnet  had  such  a  high  reputation  as  a 
good  citizen,  that  there  were  few  people  who 
thought  it  worth  while  to  trouble  themselves 
about  his  new  business  venture,  but  a  good  many 
disagreeable  things  came  to  the  ears  of  Sam 
Loftus,  who  reported  them  to  his  employer,  and 
it  was  agreed  between  them  that  it  would  be 
wise  for  them  to  sail  as  soon  as  they  could, 
even  if  they  did  not  wait  for  the  few  men  they 
had  considered  to  be  needed. 

Earlv  upon  a  cloudy  afternoon,  Major  Bon- 
net and' his  daughter  went  out  in  a  small  boat 
to  look  at  his  vessel,  the  Sarah  Williams,  which 
was  then  lving  a  short  distance  below  the  town 
"  Now'  Kate,"  said  the  good  Major  Bonnet, 
when  they  were  on  board,  "  I  have  fitted  up  a 
little  room  for  yon  below,  which  I  think  you  will 
find  comfortable  enough  during  the  voyage  to 

15 


KATE   BONNET 

Jamaica.  I  will  take  you  with  me  when  I  return 
to  the  house,  and  then  you  can  make  up  a  little 
package  of  clothes  which  it  will  be  easy  to  con- 
vey to  the  river  bank  when  the  time  shall  come 
for  you  to  depart.  I  cannot  now  say  just  when 
that  time  will  arrive;  it  may  be  in  the  daytime 
or  it  may  be  at  night,  but  it  will  be  soon,  and  I 
will  give  you  good  notice,  and  I  will  come  up 
the  river  for  you  in  a  boat.  But  now  I  am  very 
busy,  and  I  will  leave  you  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  Sarah  Williams,  which,  for  a  few 
days,  will  be  your  home.  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
row  over  to  the  town  for,  perhaps,  half  an  hour, 
but  Ben  Greenway  will  be  here  to  attend  to  any- 
thing you  need  until  I  return. ' ' 

Ben  Greenway  was  a  Scotchman,  who  had  for 
a  long  time  been  Major  Bonnet's  most  trusted 
servant.  He  was  a  good  fanner,  was  apt  at  car- 
penter work,  and  knew  a  good  deal  about  ma- 
sonry. A  few  months  ago,  any  one  living  in  that 
region  would  have  been  likely  to  say,  if  the  sub- 
ject had  been  brought  up,  that  without  Ben 
Greenway  Major  Bonnet  could  not  get  along  at 
all,  not  even  for  a  day,  for  he  depended  upon 
him  in  so  many  ways.  And  yet,  now  the  master 
of  the  estate  was  about  to  depart,  for  nobody 
knew  how  long,  and  leave  his  faithful  servant 
behind.  The  reason  he  gave  was,  that  Ben  could 
not  be  spared  from  the  farm ;  but  people  in  gen- 
eral, and  Ben  in  particular,  thought  this  very 
poor  reasoning.     Any  sort  of  business  which 

16 


A  FRUIT-BASKET   AND   A  FRIEND 

made  it  necessary  for  Major  Bonnet  to  separate 
himself  from  Ben  Greenway  was  a  very  poor 
business,  and  should  not  be  entered  upon. 

The  deck  of  the  Sarah  Williams  presented 
a  lively  scene  as  Kate  stood  upon  the  little  quar- 
ter-deck and  gazed  forward.  The  sailors  were 
walking  about  and  sitting  about,  smoking,  talk- 
ing, or  coiling  things  away.  There  were  people 
from  the  shore  with  baskets  containing  fruit  and 
other  wares  for  sale,  and  all  stirring  and  new 
and  very  interesting  to  Miss  Kate  as  she  stood, 
with  her  ribbons  flying  in  the  river  breeze. 

"  Who  is  that  young  fellow?  "  she  said  to 
Ben  Greenway,  who  was  standing  by  her,  ' '  the 
one  with  the  big  basket?  It  seems  to  me  I  have 
seen  him  before. ' ' 

"  Oh,  ay!  "  said  Ben,  "  he  has  been  on  the 
farm.  That  is  Diekory  Charter,  whose  father 
was  drowned  out  fishing  a  few  years  ago.  He 
is  a  good  lad,  an'  boards  all  ships  coram'  in  or 
goin'  out  to  sell  his  wares,  for  his  mither  leans 
on  him  now,  having  no  ither. ' ' 

The  youth,  who  seemed  to  feel  that  he  was 
being  talked  about,  now  walked  aft,  and  held  up 
his  basket.  He  was  a  handsome  youngster,  light- 
ly clad  and  barefooted;  and,  although  not  yet 
full  grown,  of  a  strong  and  active  build.  Kate 
beckoned  to  him,  and  bought  an  orange. 

11  An'  how  is  your  mither,  Diekory?  "  said 
Ben. 

11  Right  well,  I  thank  you,"  said  he,  and 

17 


KATE   BONNET 

gazed  at  Kate,  who  was  biting  a  hole  in  her 
orange. 

Then,  as  he  turned  and  went  away,  having 
no  reason  to  expect  to  sell  anything  more,  Kate 
remarked  to  Ben :  "  That  is  truly  a  fine-looking 
young  fellow.  He  walks  with  such  strength  and 
ease,  like  a  deer  or  a  cat. ' ' 

"  That  comes  from  no'  wearin'  shoes,"  said 
Ben ; ' '  but  as  for  me,  I  would  like  better  to  wear 
shoes  an'  walk  mair  stiffly." 

Now  there  came  aft  a  sailor,  who  touched  his 
cap  and  told  Ben  Greenway  that  he  was  wanted 
below  to  superintend  the  stowing  some  cases  of 
the  captain's  liquors.  So  Kate,  left  to  herself, 
began  to  think  about  what  she  should  pack 
into  her  little  bundle.  She  would  make  it  very 
small,  for  the  fewer  things  she  took  with  her 
the  more  she  would  buy  at  Spanish  Town.  But 
the  contents  of  her  package  did  not  require  much 
thought,  and  she  soon  became  a  little  tired  stay- 
ing there  by  herself,  and  therefore  she  was  glad 
to  see  young  Dickory,  with  his  orange-basket, 
walking  aft. 

1  i  I  don 't  want  any  more  oranges, ' '  she  said, 
when  he  was  near  enough,  "  but  perhaps  you 
may  have  other  fruit?  " 

He  came  up  to  her  and  put  down  his  basket. 
"  I  have  bananas,  but  perhaps  you  don't  like 
them?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do!  "  she  answered. 

But,  without  offering  to  show  her  the  fruit, 

18 


A  FRUIT-BASKET  AND  A  FRIEND 

Dickory  continued:  "  There's  one  thing  I  don't 
like,  and  that's  the  men  on  board  your  ship." 

"  What  do  you  mean!  "  she  asked,  amazed. 

"  Speak  lower,"  he  said;  and,  as  he  spoke, 
he  bethought  himself  that  it  might  be  well  to 
hold  out  towards  her  a  couple  of  bananas. 

"  They're  a  bad,  hard  lot  of  men,"  he  said. 
' '  I  heard  that  from  more  than  one  person.  You 
ought  not  to  stay  on  this  ship." 

"  And  what  do  you  know  about  it,  Mr.  Im- 
pudence !  ' '  she  asked,  with  brows  uplifted.  ' '  I 
suppose  my  father  knows  what  is  good  for  me. ' ' 

"  But  he  is  not  here,"  said  Dickory. 

Kate  looked  steadfastly  at  him.  He  did  not 
seem  as  ruddy  as  he  had  been.  And  then  she 
looked  out  upon  the  forward  deck,  and  the 
thought  came  to  her  that  when  she  had  first  no- 
ticed these  men  it  had  seemed  to  her  that  they 
were,  indeed,  a  rough,  hard  lot.  Kate  Bonnet 
was  a  brave  girl,  but  without  knowing  why  she 
felt  a  little  frightened. 

"  Your  name  is  Dickory,  isn't  it?  "  she  said. 

He  looked  up  quickly,  for  it  pleased  him  to 
hear  her  use  his  name.  "  Indeed  it  is,"  he  an- 
swered. 

"  Well,  Dickory,"  said  she,  "  I  wish  you 
would  go  and  find  Ben  Greenway.  I  should  like 
to  have  him  with  me  until  my  father  comes 
back." 

He  turned,  and  then  stopped  for  an  instant. 
He  said  in  a  clear  voice:  "  I  will  go  and  get 

19 


KATE   BONNET 

the  shilling  changed. "  And  then  he  hurried 
away. 

He  was  gone  a  long  time,  and  Kate  could 
not  understand  it.  Surely  the  Sarah  Williams 
was  not  so  big  a  ship  that  it  would  take  all  this 
time  to  look  for  Ben  Greenway.  But  he  did 
come  back,  and  his  face  seemed  even  less  ruddy 
than  when  she  had  last  seen  it.  He  came  up 
close  to  her,  and  began  handling  his  fruit. 

"  I  don't  want  to  frighten  you,"  he  said, 
1 '  but  I  must  tell  you  about  things.  I  could  not 
find  Ben  Greenway,  and  I  asked  one  of  the  men 
about  him,  feigning  that  he  owed  me  for  some 
fruit,  and  the  man  looked  at  another  man  and 
laughed,  and  said  that  he  had  been  sent  for  in 
a  hurry,  and  had  gone  ashore  in  a  boat." 

1 '  I  cannot  believe  that, ' '  said  Kate ;  ' '  he 
would  not  go  away  and  leave  me." 

Dickory  could  not  believe  it  either,  and  could 
offer  no  explanation. 

Kate  now  looked  anxiously  over  the  water 
towards  the  town,  but  no  father  was  to  be  seen. 

' '  Now  let  me  tell  you  what  I  found  out, ' '  said 
Dickory,  "  you  must  know  it.  These  men  are 
wicked  robbers.  I  slipped  quietly  among  them 
to  find  out  something,  with  my  shilling  in  my 
hand,  ready  to  ask  somebody  to  change,  if  I 
was  noticed." 

"  "Well,  what  next?  "  laying  her  hand  on  his 
arm. 

11  Oh,  don't  do  that!  "he  said  quickly;  "  bet- 

20. 


A  FRUIT-BASKET  AND  A  FRIEND 

ter  take  hold  of  a  banana.  I  spied  that  Big  Sam, 
who  is  sailing-master,  and  a  black-headed  fellow 
taking  their  ease  behind  some  boxes,  smoking, 
and  I  listened  with  all  sharpness.  And  Sam,  he 
said  to  the  other  one— not  in  these  words,  but 
in  language  not  fit  for  you  to  hear— what  he 
would  like  to  do  would  be  to  get  off  on  the  next 
tide.  And  when  the  other  fellow  asked  him  why 
he  didn't  go  then  and  leave  the  fool— meaning 
your  father— to  go  back  to  his  farm,  Big  Sam 
answered,  with  a  good  many  curses,  that  if  he 
could  do  it  he  would  drop  down  the  river  that 
very  minute  and  wait  at  the  bar  until  the  water 
was  high  enough  to  cross,  but  that  it  was  im- 
possible because  they  must  not  sail  until  your 
father  had  brought  his  cash-box  on  board.  It 
would  be  stupid  to  sail  without  that  cash-box. ' ' 

"  Dickory,"  said  she,  "  I  am  frightened;  I 
want  to  go  on  shore,  and  I  want  to  see  my  father 
and  tell  him  all  these  things.' ' 

14  But  there  is  no  boat,"  said  Dickoiy; 
44  every  boat  has  left  the  ship." 

44  But  you  have  one,"  said  she,  looking  over 
the  side. 

"It  is  a  poor  little  canoe,"  he  answered, 
44  and  I  am  afraid  they  would  not  let  me  take 
you  away,  I  having  no  orders  to  do  so." 

Kate  was  about  to  open  her  mouth  to  make 
an  indignant  reply,  when  he  exclaimed,  "  But 
here  comes  a  boat  from  the  town;  perhaps  it  is 
your  father !  ' ' 

21 


KATE   BOXXET 

She  sprang  to  the  rail.  ' '  No,  it  is  not, ' '  she 
exclaimed ;  k '  it  holds  but  one  man,  who  rows. ' ' 

She  stood,  without  a  word,  watching  the  ap- 
proaching boat,  Dickory  doing  the  same,  but 
keeping  himself  out  of  the  general  view.  The 
boat  came  alongside  and  the  oarsman  handed  up 
a  note,  which  was  presently  brought  to  Kate  by 
Big  Sam,  young  Dickory  Charter  having  in  the 
meantime  slipped  below  with  his  basket. 

"  A  note  from  your  father,  Mistress  Bon- 
net," said  the  sailing-master.  And  as  she  read 
it  he  stood  and  looked  upon  her. 

"  My  father  tells  me,"  said  Kate,  speaking 
decidedly  but  quietly,  "  that  he  will  come  on 
board  very  soon,  but  I  do  not  wish  to  wait  for 
him.  I  will  go  back  to  the  town.  I  have  affairs 
which  make  it  necessary  for  me  to  return  imme- 
diately. Tell  the  man  who  brought  the  note  that 
I  will  go  back  with  him." 

Big  Sam  raised  his  eyebrows  and  his  face 
assumed  a  look  of  trouble. 

"  It  grieves  me  greatly,  Mistress  Bonnet," 
he  said,  "  but  the  man  has  gone.  He  was  or- 
dered not  to  wait  here. ' ' 

"  Shout  after  him!  "  cried  Kate;  "  call  him 
back!  " 

Sam  stepped  to  the  rail  and  looked  over  the 
water.  "  He  is  too  far  away,"  he  said,  "  but 
I  will  try."  And  then  he  shouted,  but  the  man 
paid  no  attention,  and  kept  on  rowing  to  shore. 

"  I  thought  it  was  too  far,"  he  said,  "  but 

22 


A  FRUIT-BASKET  AND  A  FRIEND 

your  father  will  be  back  soon ;  he  sent  that  mes- 
sage to  me.  And  now,  fair  mistress,  what  can 
we  do  for  you!  Shall  it  be  that  we  send  you 
some  supper!  Or,  as  your  cabin  is  ready,  would 
you  prefer  to  step  down  to  it  and  wait  there  for 
your  father!  " 

"  No,"  said  she,  "  I  will  wait  here  for  my 
father.    I  want  nothing. ' ' 

So,  with  a  bow  he  strode  away,  and  presently 
Dickory  came  back.  She  drew  near  to  him  and 
whispered.  "  Dickory,"  she  said,  "  what  shall 
I  do!  Shall  I  scream  and  wave  my  handker- 
chief! Perhaps  they  may  see  and  hear  me  from 
the  town. ' ' 

"  No,"  said  Dickory,  "  I  would  not  do  that. 
The  night  is  coming  on,  and  the  sky  is  cloudy. 
And  besides,  if  you  make  a  noise,  those  fellows 
might  do  something." 

"  Oh,  Dickory,  what  shall  I  do!  " 

' '  You  must  wait  for  your  father, ' '  he  said ; 
"  he  must  be  here  soon,  and  the  moment  you 
see  him,  call  to  him  and  make  him  take  you  to 
shore.  You  should  both  of  you  get  away  from 
this  vessel  as  soon  as  you  can." 

For  a  moment  the  girl  reflected.  ' '  Dickory, ' ' 
said  she,  "  I  wish  you  would  take  a  message 
for  me  to  Master  Martin  Newcombe.  He  may 
be  able  to  get  here  to  me  even  before  my  father 


arrives. ' ' 


Dickory  Charter  knew  Mr.  Newcombe,  and 
he  had  heard  what  many  people  had  talked 

23 


KATE   BONNET 

about,  that  he  was  courting  Major  Bonnet's 
daughter.  The  day  before  Dickory  would  not 
have  cared  who  the  young  planter  was  courting, 
but  this  evening,  even  to  his  own  surprise,  he 
cared  very  much.  He  was  intensely  interested 
in  Kate,  and  he  did  not  desire  to  help  Martin 
Newcombe  to  take  an  interest  in  her.  Besides, 
he  spoke  honestly  as  he  said :  ' '  And  who  would 
there  be  to  take  care  of  you !  No,  indeed,  I  will 
not  leave  you. ' ' 

"  Then  row  to  the  town,"  said  she,  "  and 
have  a  boat  sent  for  me. ' ' 

He  shook  his  head.  ' '  No, ' '  he  said,  '  *  I  will 
not  leave  you." 

Her  eyes  flashed.  ' '  You  should  do  what  you 
are  commanded  to  do!  "  and  in  her  excitement 
she  almost  forgot  to  whisper. 

He  shook  his  head  and  left  her. 


24 


CHAPTER   III 


THE   TWO    CLOCKS 


was  already  beginning  to 
&row  dark.  She  sat,  and  she  sat; 
she  waited,  and  she  waited ;  and  at 
last  she  wept,  but  very  quietly.  Her  father  did 
not  come;  Ben  Greenway  was  not  there;  and 
even  that  Charter  boy  had  gone.  A  man  came 
aft  to  her ;  a  mild-faced,  elderly  man,  with  fur- 
ther offers  of  refreshment  and  an  invitation  to 
go  below  out  of  the  night  air.  But  she  would 
have  nothing ;  and  as  she  sadly  waited  and  gently 
wept,  it  began  to  grow  truly  dark.  Presently, 
as  she  sat,  one  arm  leaning  on  the  rail,  she  heard 
a  voice  close  to  her  ear,  and  she  gave  a  great 
start. 

' '  It  is  only  Dickory,"  whispered  the  voice. 

Then  she  put  her  head  near  him  and  was 
glad  enough  to  have  put  her  arms  around  his 

neck. 

I  have  heard  a  great  deal  more,"  whis- 
3  25 


< . 


KATE   BOXXET 

pered  Dickoiy ; ' '  these  men  are  dreadful.  They 
do  not  know  what  keeps  your  father,  although 
they  have  suspicions  which  I  could  not  make  out ; 
but  if  he  does  not  come  on  board  by  ten  o  'clock 
they  will  sail  without  him,  and  without  his  cash- 
box." 

"  And  what  of  me?  "  she  almost  cried, 
"  what  of  me?  " 

"  They  will  take  you  with  them,"  said  he; 
i i  that's  the  only  thing  for  them  to  do.  But  don't 
be  frightened,  don't  tremble.  You  must  leave 
this  vessel." 

1 '  But  how  ?  ' '  she  said. 

"  Oh!  I  will  attend  to  that,"  he  answered, 
"  if  you  will  listen  to  me  and  do  everything  I 
tell  you.  We  can't  go  until  it  is  dark,  but  while 
it  is  light  enough  for  you  to  see  things  I  will 
show  you  what  you  must  do.  Xow,  look  down 
over  the  side  of  the  vessel." 

She  leaned  over  and  looked  down.  He  was 
apparently  clinging  to  the  side  with  his  head 
barely  reaching  the  top  of  the  rail. 

"  Do  you  see  this  bit  of  ledge  I  am  standing 
on  ?  "he  asked.  ' '  Could  you  get  out  and  stand 
on  this,  holding  to  this  piece  of  rope  as  I  do?  " 

1 '  Yes, ' '  said  she,  ' '  I  could  do  that. ' ' 

"  Then,  still  holding  to  the  rope,  could  you 
lower  yourself  down  from  the  ledge  and  hang  to 
it  with  your  hands  ?  ' ' 

"  And  drop  into  your  boat?  "  said  she. 
"  Yes,  I  could  do  that.*" 

26 


THE  TWO  CLOCKS 

' !  No, ' '  said  he,  ' '  not  drop  into  my  boat.  It 
would  kill  you  if  you  fell  into  the  boat.  You 
must  drop  into  the  water." 

She  shuddered,  and  felt  like  screaming. 

i l  But  it  will  be  easy  to  drop  into  the  water ; 
you  can't  hurt  yourself,  and  I  shall  be  there. 
My  boat  will  be  anchored  close  by,  and  we  can 
easily  reach  it." 

' '  Drop  into  the  water !  ' '  said  poor  Kate. 

1 '  But  I  will  be  there,  you  know, ' '  said  Dick- 
ory. 

She  looked  down  upon  the  ledge,  and  then 
she  looked  below  it  to  the  water,  which  was  idly 
flapping  against  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

1 '  Is  it  the  only  way  ?  ' '  said  she. 

"  It  is  the  only  way,"  he  answered,  speak- 
ing very  earnestly.  "  You  must  not  wait  for 
your  father;  from  what  I  hear,  I  fear  he  has 
been  detained  against  his  will.  By  nine  o'clock 
it  will  be  dark  enough. ' ' 

1 '  And  what  must  I  do !  "  she  said,  feeling 
cold  as  she  spoke. 

"  Listen  to  every  word,"  he  answered. 
"  This  is  what  you  must  do.  You  know  the 
sound  of  the  bell  in  the  tower  of  the  new 
church!  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  she,  "  I  hear  it  often." 

1 1  And  you  will  not  confound  it  with  the  bell 
in  the  old  church?  " 

"  Oh,  no!  "  said  she;  "  it  is  very  different, 
and  generallv  they  strike  far  apart." 

27 


KATE   BONNET 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  the  old  one  strikes  first; 
and  when  you  hear  it,  it  will  be  quite  dark,  and 
you  can  slip  over  the  rail  and  stand  on  this 
ledge,  as  I  am  doing ;  then  keep  fast  hold  of  this 
rope  and  you  can  slip  farther  down  and  sit  on 
the  ledge  and  wait  until  the  clock  of  the  new 
church  begins  to  strike  nine.  Then  you  must  get 
off  the  ledge  and  hang  by  your  two  hands.  When 
you  hear  the  last  stroke  of  nine,  you  must  let 
go  and  drop.    I  shall  be  there." 

"  But  if  you  shouldn't  be'  there,  Dickory? 
Couldn't  you  whistle,  couldn't  you  call  gently?  " 

"  No,''  said  Dickory;  "  if  I  did  that,  their 
sharp  ears  would  hear  and  lanterns  would  be 
flashed  on  us,  and  perhaps  things  would  be  cast 
down  upon  us.  That  would  be  the  quickest  way 
of  getting  rid  of  you. ' ' 

"  But,  Dickory,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's 
silence,  "  it  is  terrible  about  my  father  and  Ben 
Greenway.  Why  don 't  they  come  back  f  What 's 
the  matter  with  them?  " 

He  hesitated  a  little  before  answering. 

"  From  what  I  heard,  I  think  there  is  some 
trouble  on  shore,  and  that's  the  reason  why  your 
father  has  not  come  for  you  as  soon  as  he  ex- 
pected. But  he  thinks  yon  safe  with  Ben  Green- 
way.  Now  what  we  have  to  do  is  to  get  away 
from  this  vessel ;  and  then  if  she  sails  and  leaves 
your  father  and  Ben  Greenway,  it  will  be  a  good 
thing.  These  fellows  are  rascals,  and  no  honest 
person  should  have  to  do  with  them.    But  now 

28 


THE  TWO  CLOCKS 

I  must  get  out  of  sight,  or  somebody  will  come 
and  spoil  everything." 

Big  Sam  did  come  aft  and  told  Kate  he 
thought  she  would  come  to  injury  sitting  out  in 
the  night  air.  But  she  would  not  listen  to  him, 
and  only  asked  him  what  time  of  night  it  was. 
He  told  her  that  it  was  not  far  from  nine,  and 
that  she  would  see  her  father  very  soon,  and 
then  he  left  her. 

ki  It  would  have  been  a  terrible  thing  if  he 
had  come  at  nine,"  she  said  to  herself.  Then 
she  sat  very  still  waiting  for  the  sound  of  the 
old  clock. 

Dickory  Charter  had  not  told  Miss  Kate  Bon- 
net all  that  he  had  heard  when  he  was  stealthily 
wandering  about  the  ship.  He  had  slipped  down 
into  the  chains  near  a  port-hole,  on  the  other 
side  of  which  Big  Sam  and  the  black-haired 
man  were  taking  supper,  and  he  heard  a  great 
deal  of  talk.  Among  other  things  he  heard  a 
bit  of  conversation  which,  when  expurgated  of 
its  oaths  and  unpleasant  expressions,  was  like 
this : 

' '  You  are  sure  you  can  trust  the  men !  ' '  said 
Black-hair. 

"  Oh,  yes!  "  replied  the  other,  "  they're  all 
right." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  go  now?  At  any  time 
officers  may  be  rowing  out  here  to  search  the 
vessel. ' ' 

"  And  well  they  might.    For  what  needs  an 

29 


KATE    BONNET 

old  farmer  with  an  empty  vessel,  a  crew  of  sev- 
enty men,  and  ten  guns?  He  is  in  trouble,  you 
may  wager  your  life  on  that,  or  he  would  be 
coming  to  see  about  his  girl." 

' '  And  what  will  you  do  about  her  ?  ' ' 

"  Oh,  she'll  not  be  in  the  way,"  answered 
Big  Sam  with  a  laugh.  "  If  he  doesn't  take  her 
off  before  I  sail,  that's  his  business.  If  I  am 
obliged  to  leave  port  without  his  cash-box,  I  will 
marry  his  daughter  and  become  his  son-in-law— 
I  don't  doubt  we  can  find  a  parson  among  all 
the  rascals  on  board— then,  perhaps,  he  will 
think  it  his  duty  to  send  me  drafts  to  the  dif- 
ferent ports  I  touch  at. ' ' 

At  this  good  joke,  both  of  them  laughed. 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  go  without  his  cash- 
box,"  continued  Big  Sam,  "  and  I  will  wait  un- 
til high-tide,  which  will  be  about  ten  o  'clock.  It 
would  be  unsafe  to  miss  that,  for  I  must  not  be 
here  to-morrow  morning.  But  the  long-boat  will 
be  here  soon.  I  told  Roger  to  wait  until  half- 
past  nine,  and  then  to  come  aboard  with  old  Bon- 
net or  without  him,  if  he  didn't  show  himself 
by  that  time. ' ' 

"  But,  after  all,"  said  the  black-haired  man, 
"  the  main  thing  is,  will  the  men  stand  by 
youf  " 

"  You  needn't  fear  them,"  said  the  other 
with  an  aggravated  oath,  ' '  I  know  every  rascal 
of  them. ' ' 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Dickory  Charter  to  him- 

30 


THE  TWO  CLOCKS 

self  as  he  slipped  out  of  the  chains,  "  she  goes 
overboard,  if  I  have  to  pitch  her  over. ' ' 

Nothing  had  he  heard  about  Ben  Greenway. 
He  did  not  believe  that  the  Scotchman  had  de- 
serted his  young  mistress ;  even  had  he  been  sent 
for  to  go  on  shore  in  haste,  would  he  leave  with- 
out speaking  to  her.  More  than  that,  he  would 
most  likely  have  taken  her  with  him. 

But  Pickory  could  not  afford  to  give  much 
thought  to  Ben  Greenway.  Although  a  good 
friend  to  both  himself  and  his  mother,  he  was 
not  to  be  considered  when  the  safety  of  Mistress 
Kate  Bonnet  was  in  question. 

The  minutes  moved  slowly,  very  slowly  in- 
deed, as  Kate  sat,  listening  for  the  sound  of  the 
old  clock,  and  at  the  same  time  listening  for 
the  sound  of  approaching  footsteps. 

It  was  now  so  dark  that  she  could  not  have 
seen  anybody  without  a  light,  but  she  could  hear 
as  if  she  had  possessed  the  ears  of  a  cat. 

She  had  ceased  to  expect  her  father.  She 
was  sure  he  had  been  detained  on  shore;  how, 
she  knew  not.  But  she  did  know  he  was  not 
coming. 

Presently  the  old  clock  struck,  one,  two—  In 
a  moment  she  was  climbing  over  the  rail.  In 
the  darkness  she  missed  the  heavy  bit  of  rope 
which  Dickory  had  showed  her,  but;  feeling  about 
she  clutched  it  and  let  herself  down  to  the  ledge 
below.  Her  nerves  were  quite  firm  now.  It  was 
necessary  to  be  so  very  particular  to   follow 

31 


KATE   BONNET 

Dickory  's  directions  to  the  letter,  that  her  nerves 
were  obliged  to  be  firm.  She  slipped  still  farther 
down  and  sat  sideways  npon  the  narrow  ledge. 
So  narrow  that  if  the  vessel  had  rolled  she  could 
not  have  remained  upon  it. 

There  she  waited. 

Then  there  came,  sharper  and  clearer  out  of 
the  darkness  in  the  direction  of  the  town,  the 
first  stroke  of  nine  o'clock  from  the  tower  of 
the  new  church.  Before  the  second  stroke  had 
sounded  she  was  hanging  by  her  two  hands 
from  the  ledge.  She  hung  at  her  full  length; 
she  put  her  feec  together;  she  hoped  that  she 
would  go  down  smoothly  and  make  no  splash. 
Three  —  four  —  five  —  six  —  seven  —  eight  — 
nine— and  she  let  her  fingers  slip  from  the  ledge. 
Down  she  went,  into  the  darkness  and  into  the 
water,  not  knowing  where  one  ended  and  the 
other  began.  Her  eyes  were  closed,  but  they 
might  as  well  have  been  open ;  there  was  nothing 
for  her  to  see  in  all  that  blackness.  Down  she 
went,  as  if  it  were  to  the  very  bottom  of  black 
air  and  black  water.  And  then,  suddenly  she 
felt  an  ami  around  her. 

Dickory  was  there! 

She  felt  herself  rising,  and  Dickory  was  ris- 
ing, still  with  his  arm  around  her.  In  a  moment 
her  head  was  in  the  air,  and  she  could  breathe. 
Now  she  felt  that  he  was  swimming,  with  one 
arm  and  both  legs.  Instinctively  she  tried  to 
help  him,  for  she  had  learned  to  swim.     They 

32 


THE  TWO  CLOCKS 

went  on  a  dozen  strokes  or  more,  with  much  la- 
bour, until  they  touched  something  hard. 

"  My  boat,"  said  Dickorv,  in  the  lowest  of 
whispers ;  ' k  take  hold  of  it. ' ' 

Kate  did  so,  and  he  moved  from  her.  She 
knew  that  he  was  clambering  into  the  boat,  al- 
though she  could  not  see  or  hear  him.  Soon  he 
took  hold  of  her  under  her  arms,  and  he  lifted 
with  the  strength  of  a  young  lion,  yet  so  slowly, 
so  warily,  that  not  a  drop  of  water  could  be  heard 
dripping  from  her  garments.  And  when  she  was 
drawn  up  high  enough  to  help  herself,  he  pulled 
her  in,  still  warily  and  slowly.  Then  he  slipped 
to  the  bow  and  cast  off  the  rope  with  which  the 
canoe  had  been  anchored.  It  was  his  only  rope, 
but  he  could  not  risk  the  danger  of  pulling  up 
the  bit  of  rock  to  which  the  other  end  of  it  was 
fastened.  Then,  with  a  paddle,  worked  as  si- 
lently as  if  it  had  been  handled  by  an  Indian, 
the  canoe  moved  away,  farther  and  farther,  into 
the  darkness. 

* '  Is  all  well  with  you  ?  ■  ■  said  Dickorv,  think- 
ing he  might  now  safely  murmur  a  few  words. 

"  All  well,"  she  murmured  back,  "  except 
that  this  is  the  most  uncomfortable  boat  I  ever 
sat  in!  " 

' '  I  expect  you  are  on  my  orange  basket, ' '  he 
said ;  * '  perhaps  you  can  move  it  a  little. ' ' 

Xow  he  paddled  more  strongly,  and  then  he 
stopped. 

"  Where  shall  I  take  you,  Mistress  Bonnet?  " 

33 


KATE   BONNET 

lie  asked,  a  little  louder  than  he  had  dared  to 
speak  before. 

Kate  heaved  a  sigh  before  she  answered ;  she 
had  been  saying  her  prayers. 

"  I  don't  know,  you  brave  Dickory,"  she 
answered,  "  but  it  seems  to  me  that  you  can't 
see  to  take  me  anywhere.  Everything  is  just 
as  black  as  pitch,  one  way  or  another." 

"  But  I  know  the  river,"  he  said,  "  with 
light  or  without  it.  I  have  gone  home  on  nights 
as  black  as  this.    Will  you  go  to  the  town?  " 

"  I  would  not  know  where  to  go  to  there," 
she  answered,  "  and  in  such  a  plight." 

' '  Then  to  your  home, ' '  said  he.  ' '  But  that 
will  be  a  long  row,  and  you  must  be  very  cold. ' ' 

She  shuddered,  but  not  with  cold.  If  her 
father  had  been  at  home  it  would  have  been  all 
right,  but  her  step-mother  would  be  there,  and 
that  would  not  be  all  right.  She  would  not  know 
what  to  say  to  her. 

"  Oh,  Dickory,"  she  said,  "  I  don't  know 
where  to  go." 

"  I  know  where  you  can  go,"  he  said,  be- 
ginning to  paddle  vigorously,  "  I  will  take  you 
to  my  mother.  She  will  take  care  of  you  to- 
night and  give  you  dry  clothes,  and  to-morrow 
you  may  go  where  you  will." 


34 


CHAPTER   IV 


ON  THE   QUARTER-DECK 


S  the  time  approached  when 
Big  Sam  intended  to  take  the 
Sarah  Williams  out  of  port,  it 
seemed  really  necessary  that  Mistress  Kate  Bon- 
net should  descend  from  the  exposed  quarter- 
deck and  seek  shelter  from  the  night  air  in  the 
captain's  cabin  or  in  her  own  room;  and,  as  she 
had  treated  him  so  curtly  at  his  last  interview 
with  her,  he  sent  the  elderly  man  with  the  mild 
countenance  to  tell  her  that  she  really  must  go 
below,  for  that  he,  Big  Sam,  felt  answerable  to 
her  father  for  her  health  and  comfort.  But  when 
the  elderly  man  and  his  lantern  reached  the 
quarter-deck,  there  was  no  Mistress  Kate  there, 
and,  during  the  rapid  search  which  ensued,  there 
was  no  Mistress  Kate  to  be  found  on  the  ves- 
sel. 

Big  Sam  was  very  much  disturbed ;  she  must 
have  jumped  overboard.  But  what  a  wild  young 
woman  to  do  that  upon  such  little  provocation, 

35 


KATE    BONNET 

for  how  should  she  know  that  he  was  about  to 
run  away  with  her  father 's  vessel ! 

"  This  is  a  bad  business,"  he  said  to  the 
black-haired  man,  "  and  who  would  have 
thought  it!  " 

"I  see  not  that,"  said  Black  Paul,  "  nor 
why  you  should  trouble  yourself  about  her.  She 
is  gone,  and  you  are  well  rid  of  her.  Had  she 
stayed  aboard  with  us,  every  ship  in  the  colony 
might  have  been  cruising  after  us  before  to- 
morrow's sun  had  gone  down." 

But  this  did  not  quiet  the  cowardly  soul  of 
Big  Sam. 

"  Now  I  shall  tell  you,"  said  he,  "  exactly 
what  happened.  A  little  before  dark  she  went 
ashore  in  a  boat  which  was  then  leaving  the 
ship.  I  allowed  her  to  do  this  because  she  was 
very  much  in  earnest  about  it,  and  talked  sharp- 
ly, and  also  because  I  thought  the  town  was  the 
best  place  for  her,  since  it  was  growing  late  and 
her  father  did  not  seem  to  be  coming.  Now,  if 
the  old  man  comes  on  board,  that's  what  hap- 
pened; but  if  he  does  not  come  on  board,  the 
devil  and  the  fishes  know  what  happened,  and 
they  may  talk  about  it  if  they  like.  But  if  any 
man  says  anything  to  old  Bonnet  except  as  I 
have  ordered,  then  the  fishes  shall  have  another 
feast." 

' '  And  now,  what  I  have  to  say  to  you, ' '  said 
Black  Paul,  "  is,  that  you  should  get  away  from 
here  without  waiting  for  the  tide.    If  one  of  these 

36 


ON    THE    QUARTER-DECK 

rascals  drops  overboard  and  swirns  ashore,  lie 
may  get  a  good  reward  for  news  of  the  murder 
committed  on  this  vessel,  and  there  isn't  any 
reason  to  think,  so  far  as  I  know,  that  the  Sarah 
Williams  can  sail  any  faster  than  two  or  three 
other  vessels  now  in  the  harbour." 

"  There's  sense  in  all  that,"  said  Big  Sam 
as  he  walked  forward.  But  he  suddenly  stopped, 
hearing,  not  very  far  away,  the  sound  of  oars. 

Now  began  the  body  and  soul  of  Big  Sam 
to  tremble.  If  the  officers  of  the  law,  having 
disposed  of  Captain  Bonnet,  had  now  come  to 
the  ship,  he  had  no  sufficient  tale  to  tell  them 
about  the  disappearance  of  Mistress  Kate  Bon- 
net; nor  could  he  resist.  For  whv  should  the 
crew  obey  his  orders  ?  They  had  not  yet  agreed 
to  receive  him  as  their  captain,  and,  so  far,  they 
had  done  nothing  to  set  themselves  against  the 
authorities.    It  was  a  bad  case  for  Big  Sam. 

But  now  the  ship  was  hailed,  and  the  voice 
which  hailed  it  was  that  of  Captain  Bonnet.  And 
the  soul  of  Big  Sam  upheaved  itself. 

In  a  few  minutes  Bonnet  was  on  board,  with 
a  big  box  and  the  crew  of  the  long-boat.  Speak- 
ing rapidly,  he  explained  to  Big  Sam  the  situ- 
ation of  affairs.  The  authorities  of  the  port  had 
indeed  sadly  interfered  with  him.  They  had 
heard  reports  about  the  unladen  vessel  and  the 
big  crew ;  and,  although  they  felt  loath  to  detain 
and  to  examine  a  fellow-townsman,  hitherto  of 
good  report,  they  did  detain  him  and  they  did 

37 


KATE   BONNET 

examine  him,  and  they  would  have  gone  imme- 
diately to  the  ship  had  it  not  been  so  dark. 

But  under  the  circumstances  they  contented 
themselves  with  the  assurance  of  the  respectable 
Mr.  Bonnet  that  he  would  appear  before  them 
the  next  morning  and  give  them  every  oppor- 
tunity of  examining  his  most  respectable  ship. 
Having  done  this,  they  retired  to  their  beds,  and 
the  respectable  Bonnet  immediately  boarded  his 
vessel. 

"  Now,"  cried  Captain  Bonnet,  "  where  is 
my  daughter?  I  hope  that  Ben  Green  way  has 
caused  her  to  retire  to  shelter?  " 

"  Your  daughter!  "  exclaimed  Big  Sam,  be- 
fore any  one  else  could  speak,  "  she  is  not  here. 
It  was  still  early  twilight  when  she  told  me  she 
would  wait  no  longer,  and  desired  to  be  sent 
ashore  in  a  boat.  This  request,  of  course,  I  im- 
mediately granted,  feeling  bound  thereto,  as  she 
was  your  daughter,  and  that  I  was,  in  a  measure, 
under  her  orders. ' ' 

Captain  Bonnet  stood,  knitting  his  brows. 

' '  "Well,  well !  "  he  presently  cried,  with  an 
air  of  relief,  "  it  is  better  so.  Her  home  is  the 
best  place  for  her,  as  matters  have  turned  out. 
And  now,"  said  he,  turning  to  Big  Sam,  "  call 
the  men  together  and  set  them  to  quick  work. 
Pull  up  your  anchors  and  do  whatever  else  is 
necessary  to  free  the  ship ;  then  let  us  away.  We 
must  be  far  out  of  sight  of  this  island  before 
to-morrow's  sunrise. " 

38 


ON    THE    QUARTER-DECK 

As  Big  Sam  passed  Black  Paul  he  winked 
and  whispered:  "  The  old  fool  is  doing  exactly 
what  I  would  have  done  if  he  hadn't  come 
aboard.  This  suits  my  plan  as  if  he  were  trying 
his  best  to  please  me." 

In  a  very  short  time  the  cable  was  slipped, 
for  Big  Sam  had  no  notion  of  betraying  the  de- 
parture of  the  vessel  by  the  creaking  of  a  cap- 
stan; and,  with  the  hoisting  of  a  few  sails  and 
no  light  aboard  except  the  shaded  lamp  at  the 
binnacle,  the  Sarah  Williams  moved  down  the 
river  and  out  upon  the  sea. 

"  And  when  are  you  going  to  take  the  com- 
mand in  your  hands  ?  ' '  asked  Black  Paul  of  Big 
Sam. 

"  To-morrow,  some  time,"  was  the  answer, 
' '  but  I  must  first  go  around  among  the  men  and 
let  them  know  what's  coming." 

"  And  how  about  Ben  Greenway?  Has  the 
old  man  asked  for  him  yet !  ' ' 

' '  Xo, ' '  said  the  other ;  ' '  he  thinks,  of  course, 
that  the  Scotchman  has  gone  ashore  with  the 
young  woman.  "What  else  could  he  do,  being 
a  faithful  servant?  To-morrow  I  shall  set 
Greenway  free  and  let  him  tell  his  own  tale 
to  his  master.  But  I  shall  tell  my  tale  first, 
and  then  he  can  speak  or  not  speak,  as  he 
chooses;  it  will  make  no  difference  one  way  or 
another. ' ' 

Soon  after  dawn  the  next  morning  Captain 
Bonnet  was  out  of  his  hammock  and  upon  deck. 

39 


KATE   BONNET 

He  looked  about  kirn  and  saw  nothing  but  sea, 
sea,  sea. 

Big  Sam  approached  him.  ' '  I  forgot  to  tell 
you,"  said  he,  "  that  yesterday  I  shut  up  that 
Scotchman  of  yours,  for,  from  his  conduct,  I 
thought  that  he  had  some  particular  reason  for 
wanting  to  go  on  shore;  and,  fearing  that  if  he 
did  so  he  would  talk  about  this  vessel,  and  so 
make  worse  the  trouble  I  was  sure  you  were  in, 
I  shut  him  up  as  a  matter  of  precaution  and 
forgot  to  mention  him  to  you  last  night." 

"  You  stupid  blockhead!  "  roared  Mr.  Bon- 
net, ' '  how  like  an  ass  you  have  acted !  Not  for 
a  bag  of  gold  would  I  have  taken  Ben  Greenway 
on  this  cruise;  and  not  for  a  dozen  bags  would 
I  have  deprived  my  family  of  his  care  and  serv- 
ice. You  ought  to  be  thrown  into  the  sea !  Ben 
Greenway  here!  Of  all  men  in  the  world,  Ben 
Greenway  here !  ' ' 

"  I  only  thought  to  do  you  a  service,"  said 
Big  Sam. 

"  Service!  "  shouted  the  angry  Bonnet.  But 
as  it  was  of  no  use  to  say  anything  more  upon 
this  subject,  he  ordered  the  sailing-master  to 
send  to  him,  first,  Ben  Greenway,  and  then  to 
summon  to  him,  no  matter  where  they  might  be 
or  what  they  might  be  doing,  the  whole  crew. 

The  other,  surprised  at  this  order,  objected 
that  all  of  the  men  could  not  leave  their  posts, 
but  Bonnet  overruled  him. 

"  Send  me  the  whole  of  them,  every  man 

40 


ON   THE    QUARTER-DECK 

jack  The  fellow  at  the  wheel  will  remain  here 
and  steer.  As  for  the  rest,  the  ship  will  take 
care  of  itself  for  a  space. ' ' 

"  What  can  that  old  fool  of  a  farmer  intend 
to  do!  "  said  Big  Sam,  as  he  went  away;  "  he 
is  like  a  child  with  a  toy,  and  wants  to  see  his 
crew  in  a  bunch." 

Presently  came  Ben  Greenway  in  a  smothered 
rage. 

"  An'  I  suppose,  sir,"  said  he  without  salu- 
tation, "  that  ye  have  gi'en  orders  about  the  care 
o '  the  cows  and  the  lot  o '  poultry  that  I  engaged 
to  send  to  the  town  to-day?  " 

"  Don't  mention  cows  or  poultry  to  me!  ' 
cried  Bonnet.  "  I  am  a  more  angry  man  than 
you  are,  Ben  Greenway,  and  as  soon  as  I  have 
time  to  attend  to  it,  I  shall  look  into  this  matter 
of  your  shutting  up,  and  shall  come  down  upon 
the  wrongdoers  like  sheeted  lightning." 

"  What  a  fearful  rage  ye 're  in,  Master  Bon- 
net," said  Ben.  "  I  never  saw  the  like  o'  it. 
If  ye 're  really  angrier  than  I  am,  I  willna  revile ; 
leavin'  it  to  ye  to  do  the  revilin'  wha  are  so 
much  better  qualified.  An'  so  it  wasna  accident 
that  I  was  shut  up  in  the  ship's  pantry,  leavin' 
Mistress  Kate  to  gang  hame  by  hersel',  an'  to 
come  out  this  mornin'  findin'  the  ship  at  sea  an' 
ye  in  command?  " 

"  Say  no  more,  Ben,"  cried  Bonnet.    "  I  am 
more  sorry  to  see  you  here  than  if  you  were 
any  other  man  I  know  in  this  world.    But  I  can- 
4  41 


KATE   BONNET 

not  put  you  off  now,  nor  can  I  talk  further  about 
it,  being  very  much  pressed  with  other  matters. 
Now  here  comes  my  crew. ' ' 

Ben  Greenway  retired  a  little,  leaning  against 
the  rail. 

"An'  this  is  his  crew?  "  he  muttered;  "  a 
lot  o'  unkempt  wild  beasts,  it  strikes  me.  May- 
hap he  has  gathered  them  togither  to  convert 
their  souls,  an'  he  is  about  to  preach  his  first 
sermon  to  them." 

Now  all  the  mariners  of  the  Sarah  Williams 
were  assembled  aft  and  Captain  Bonnet  was 
standing  on  his  quarter-deck,  looking  out  upon 
them.  He  was  dressed  in  a  naval  uniform,  to 
which  was  added  a  broad  red  sash.  In  his  belt 
were  two  pairs  of  big  pistols,  and  a  stout  sword 
hung  by  his  side.  He  folded  his  arms ;  he  knit- 
ted his  brows,  and  he  gazed  fiercely  about  to  see 
if  any  one  were  absent,  although  if  any  one  had 
been  absent  he  would  not  have  known  it.  His 
eyes  flashed,  his  cheeks  were  flushed,  and  it  was 
plain  enough  to  all  that  he  had  something  im- 
portant to  say. 

"  My  men,"  he  cried,  in  a  stalwart  voice 
which  no  one  there  had  ever  heard  him  use  be- 
fore, "  my  men,  look  upon  me  and  you  will  not 
see  what  you  expect  to  see !  Here  is  no  planter, 
no  dealer  in  horses  and  fat  cattle,  no  grower  of 
sugar-cane!  Instead  of  that,"  he  yelled,  draw- 
ing his  sword  and  flourishing  it  above  his  head, 
"  instead  of  that  I  am  pirate  Bonnet,  the  new 

42 


ON    THE    QUARTER-DECK 

terror  of  the  sea !  You,  my  men,  my  brave  men, 
you  are  not  the  crew  of  the  good  merchantman, 
the  Sarah  Williams,  you  are  pirates  all.  You 
are  the  pirate  crew  of  the  pirate  ship  Revenge. 
That  is  now  the  name  of  this  vessel  on  which 
you  sail,  and  you  are  all  pirates,  who  henceforth 
shall  sail  her. 

1  i  Xow  look  aloft,  every  man  of  you,  and  you 
will  see  a  skull  and  bones,  under  which  you  sail, 
under  which  you  fight,  under  which  you  gain 
great  riches  in  coins,  in  golden  bars,  and  in  fine 
goods  fit  for  kings  and  queens !  ' ' 

As  he  spoke,  every  rascal  raised  his  eyes 
aloft,  and  there,  sure  enough,  floated  the  black 
flag  with  the  skull  and  bones— the  terrible  "  Jollv 
Roger  "  of  the  Spanish  Main,  and  which  Bonnet 
himself  had  hoisted  before  he  called  together  his 
crew. 

For  the  most  part  the  men  were  astounded, 
and  looked  blankly  the  one  upon  the  other.  They 
knew  they  had  been  shipped  to  sail  upon  some 
illegal  cruise,  and  that  they  were  to  be  paid  high 
wages  by  the  wealthy  Bonnet;  but  that  this 
worthy  farmer  should  be  their  pirate  captain  had 
never  entered  their  minds,  they  naturally  sup- 
posing that  their  future  commander  would  not 
care  to  show  himself  at  Barbadoes,  and  that  he 
would  be  taken  on  board  at  some  other  port. 

As  for  Big  Sam,  he  was  more  than  astounded 
—he  was  stupefied.  He  had  well  known  the  char- 
acter of  the  ship  from  the  time  that  Bonnet  had 

43 


KATE   BOXXET 

taken  him  into  his  service,  and  he  it  was  who 
had  mainly  managed  the  fitting-up  of  the  vessel 
and  the  shipping  of  her  crew.  He  did  not  know 
whom  Bonnet  intended  to  command  the  ship,  but 
from  the  very  beginning  he  had  intended  to  com- 
mand her  himself.  But  he  had  been  too  late. 
He  had  not  gone  among  the  men  as  he  had 
expected  to  do  soon  after  setting  sail,  and  here 
this  country  bumpkin  had  taken  the  wind  out 
of  his  sails  and  had  boldly  announced  that  he 
himself  was  the  captain  of  the  pirate  ship  Re- 
venge. 

The  men  now  began  to  talk  among  them- 
selves; and  as  Bonnet  still  stood,  his  sword 
clutched  in  his  hand  and  his  chest  heaving  with 
the  excitement  of  his  own  speech,  there  arose 
from  the  crew  a  cheer.  Some  of  them  had  known 
a  little  about  Stede  Bonnet  and  some  of  them 
scarcely  anything  at  all,  except  that  he  was  able 
to  pay  them  good  wages.  Now  he  had  told  them 
that  he  was  a  pirate  captain,  and  each  of  them 
knew  that  he  himself  was  a  pirate,  or  was  wait- 
ing for  the  chance  to  become  one. 

And  so  they  cheered,  and  their  captain's 
chest  heaved  higher,  and  the  soul  of  the  luckless 
Big  Sam  collapsed,  for  he  knew  that  after  that 
cheer  there  was  no  chance  for  him ;  at  least,  not 
now. 

1  i  Now  go,  my  boys, ' '  shouted  Bonnet,  ' '  back 
to  your  places,  every  one  of  you,  and  fall  to  your 
duty;  and  in  honour  of  that  black  flag  which 

U 


ON    THE    QUARTER-DECK 

floats  above  you,  each  one  of  you  shall  drink  a 
glass  of  grog." 

With  another  shout  the  crew  hurried  for- 
ward, and  Stede  Bonnet  stood  upon  the  quarter- 
deck, the  pirate  captain  of  the  pirate  ship  Re- 
venge. 

And  now  stepped  up  to  his  master  that  good 
Presbyterian,  Ben  Greenway. 

"  An'  ye  call  yourseP  a  pirate,  sir!  "  said  he, 
"an'  ye  go  forth  upon  the  sea  to  murder  an' 
to  rob  an'  to  prepare  your  soul  for  hell?  " 

Mr.  Bonnet  winked  a  little. 

"  You  speak  strongly,  Ben,"  said  he,  "  but 
that  might  have  been  expected  from  a  man  of 
your  fashion  of  thinking.  But  let  me  tell  you 
again,  my  good  Ben  Greenway,  that  I  was  no 
party  to  your  being  on  this  vessel.  Even  now, 
when  my  soul  swells  within  me  with  the  pride 
of  knowing  that  I  am  a  sovereign  of  the  seas 
and  that  I  owe  no  allegiance  to  any  man  or  any 
government  and  that  my  will  is  my  law  and  is 
the  law  of  every  man  upon  this  vessel— even 
now,  Ben  Greenway,  it  grieves  me  to  know  that 
you  are  here  with  me.  But  the  first  chance  I 
get  I  shall  set  you  ashore  and  have  you  sent 
home.  Thou  art  not  cut  out  for  a  pirate,  and 
as  no  other  canst  thou  sail  with  me." 

Ben  Greenway  looked  at  him  steadfastly. 

' '  Master  Stede  Bonnet, ' '  said  he, ' '  ye  are  no 
more  fit  to  be  a  bloody  pirate  than  I  am.  Ye 
oversee  your  plantation  weel,   although  I  hae 

45 


KATE   BONNET 

often  been  persuaded  that  ye  knew  no'  as  much 
as  ye  think  ye  do.  Ye  provide  weel  for  your 
family,  although  ye  tak'  no'  the  pleasure  therein 
ye  might  hae  ta'en  had  ye  been  content  wi'  ane 
wife,  as  the  Holy  Scriptures  tell  us  is  enough 
for  ony  mon,  an'  ye  hae  sufficient  judgment  to 
tak'  the  advice  o'  a  judgmatical  mon  about  your 
lands  an '  your  herds ;  but  when  it  comes  to  your 
ca'in'  yoursel'  a  pirate  captain,  it  is  enough  to 
make  a  deceased  person  chuckle  by  the  absurdity 
o'  it." 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  exclaimed  Major  Bonnet, 
"  I  don't  like  your  manner  of  speech." 

"0'  course  ye  don't,"  cried  Ben;  "  an'  I 
didna  expect  ye  to  like  it;  but  it  is  the  solemn 
truth  for  a'  that." 

"  I  don't  want  any  of  your  solemn  truths," 
said  Bonnet,  "  and  as  soon  as  I  get  a  chance  I 
am  going  to  send  you  home  to  your  barnyard 
and  your  cows. ' ' 

"  No'  so  fast,  Master  Bonnet,  no'  so  fast," 
answered  Ben.  "  I  hae  ta'en  care  o'  ye  for 
mony  years;  I  hae  kept  ye  out  o'  mony  a  bad 
scrape  both  in  buyin'  an'  sellin',  an'  I  am  sure 
ye  never  wanted  takin'  care  o'  mair  than  ye  do 
now;  an'  I'm  just  here  to  tell  ye  that  I  am  no' 
goin'  back  to  Barbadoes  till  ye  do,  an'  that  I  am 
goin'  to  stand  by  ye  through  your  bad  luck  and 
through  your  good  luck,  in  your  sin  an'  in  your 
repentance. ' ' 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  cried  Captain  Bonnet,  as 

46 


■' 


- 


c~  ■  —     i  iiLj-ggiiiiiTZr-"  "ffC 


"If  you  talk  to  me  like  that  I  will  cut  you  down  where 
you  stand  1 " 


ON   THE    QUARTER-DECK 

he  waved  his  sword  in  the  air,  "  if  you  talk  to 
me  like  that  I  will  cut  you  down  where  you 
stand!  You  forget  that  you  are  not  talking  to 
a  country  gentleman,  but  to  a  pirate,  a  pirate  of 
the  seas!  " 

Ben  grinned,  but  seeing  the  temper  his  mas- 
ter was  in,  thought  it  wise  to  retire. 


47 


CHAPTER   V 


AN    UNSUCCESSFUL   ERRAND 


^WSdMWSl 


.po'ifc*  - 


OR  what  seemed  a  very  long 
time  to  Kate  Bonnet,  Dick- 
ory  Charter  paddled  bravely 
through  the  darkness.  She  was  relieved  of 
the  terror  and  the  uncertainty  which  had  fallen 
upon  her  during  the  past  few  hours,  and  she 
was  grateful  to  the  brave  young  fellow  who 
had  delivered  her  from  the  danger  of  sailing 
out  upon  the  sea  with  a  crew  of  wicked  scoun- 
drels who  were  about  to  steal  her  father's  ship, 
and  her  heart  should  have  beaten  high  with 
gratitude  and  joy,  but  it  did  not.  She  was 
very  cold,  and  she  knew  not  whither  young 
Diekory  was  taking  her.  She  did  not  believe 
that  in  all  that  darkness  he  could  possibly  know 
where  he  was  going ;  at  any  moment  that  dread- 
ful ship  might  loom  up  before  them,  and  lights 
might  be  flashed  down  upon  them.  But  all  of 
a    sudden   the   canoe   scraped,    grounded,    and 

stopped. 

43 


AN    UNSUCCESSFUL   ERRAND 

•k  What  is  that?  "  she  cried. 

"  It  is  our  beach, ' '  said  Dickory,  and  almost 
at  that  moment  there  came  a  call  from  the  dark- 
ness beyond. 

11  Dickory!  "  cried  a  woman's  voice,  "  is 
that  you?  " 

"  It  is  my  mother, ' '  said  the  boy ;  ' '  she  has 
heard  the  scraping  of  my  keel. ' ' 

Then  he  shouted  back,  "  It  is  Dickory ;  please 
show  me  a  light,  mother!  " 

Jumping  out,  Dickory  pulled  the  canoe  high 
up  the  shelving  shore,  and  then  he  helped  Kate 
to  get  out.  It  was  not  an  easy  job,  for  she  could 
see  nothing  and  floundered  terribly;  but  he 
seemed  to  like  it,  and  half  led,  half  carried  her 
over  a  considerable  space  of  uneven  ground,  un- 
til he  came  to  the  door  of  a  small  house,  where 
stood  an  elderly  woman  with  a  lantern. 

"  Dickory!  Dickory!  "  shouted  the  woman, 
"  what  is  that  you  are  bringing  home!  Is  it  a 
great  fish?  " 

"  It  is  a  young  woman, ' '  said  the  boy,  ' '  but 
she  is  as  wet  as  a  fish." 

"  Woman!  "  cried  good  Dame  Charter. 
"  What  mean  you,  Dickory,  is  she  dead?  " 

"  Not  dead,  Mother  Charter,"  said  Kate, 
who  now  stood,  unassisted,  in  the  light  of  the 
lantern,  "  but  in  woeful  case,  and  more  like 
to  startle  you  than  if  I  were  the  biggest  fish. 
I  am  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet,  just  out  of  the  river 
between  here  and  the  town.    No,  I  will  not  enter 

49 


KATE   BONNET 

your  house,  I  am  not  fit ;  I  will  stand  here  and 
tell  my  tale. ' ' 

"  Dickory!  "  shouted  Dame  Charter,  "  take 
the  lantern  and  run  to  the  kitchen  cabin,  where 
ye '11  make  a  fire  quickly." 

Away  ran  Dickory,  and  standing  in  the  dark- 
ness, Kate  Bonnet  told  her  tale.  It  was  not  a 
very  satisfactory  tale,  for  there  was  a  great 
part  of  it  which  Kate  herself  did  not  under- 
stand, but  it  sufficed  at  present  for  the  good 
dame,  who  had  known  the  girl  when  she  was 
small,  and  who  was  soon  busily  engaged  in 
warming  her  by  her  fire,  refreshing  her  with 
food,  and  in  fortifying  her  against  the  effects 
of  her  cold  bath  by  a  generous  glass  of  rum, 
made,  the  good  woman  earnestly  asserted,  from 
sugar-cane  grown  on  Master  Bonnet's  planta- 
tion. 

Early  the  next  morning  came  Dickory  from 
the  kitchen,  where  he  had  made  a  fire  (before 
that  he  had  been  catching  some  fish),  and  on 
a  rude  bench  by  the  house  door  he  saw  Kate 
Bonnet.  When  he  perceived  her  he  laughed ;  but 
as  she  also  laughed,  it  was  plain  she  was  not 
offended. 

This  pretty  girl  was  dressed  in  a  large  blue 
gown,  belonging  to  the  stout  Dame  Charter,  and 
which  was  quite  as  much  of  a  gown  as  she  had 
any  possible  need  for.  Her  head  was  bare,  for 
she  had  lost  her  hat,  and  she  wore  neither  shoes 
nor  stockings,  those  articles  of  apparel  having 

50 


AN   UNSUCCESSFUL   ERRAND 

been  so  shrunken  by  immersion  as  to  make  it 
impossible  for  her  to  get  them  on. 

i  i  Thy  mother  is  a  good  woman, ' '  said  Kate, 
"  and  I  am  so  glad  you  did  not  take  me  to  the 
town.  I  don't  wonder  you  gaze  at  me;  I  must 
look  like  a  fright. ' ' 

Dickory  made  no  answer,  but  by  the  way  in 
which  he  regarded  her,  she  knew  that  he  saw 
nothing  frightful  in  her  face. 

' '  You  have  been  very  good  to  me, ' '  said  she, 
rising  and  making  a  step  towards  him,  but  sud- 
denly stopping  on  account  of  her  bare  feet, ' '  and 
I  wish  I  could  tell  you  how  thankful  I  am  to 
you.  You  are  truly  a  brave  boy,  Dickory;  the 
bravest  I  have  ever  known. ' ' 

His  brows  contracted.  "  AYhy  do  you  call 
me  a  boy?  "  he  interrupted.  "  I  am  nineteen 
years  old,  and  you  are  not  much  more  than 
that." 

She  laughed,  and  her  white  teeth  made  him 
ready  to  fall  down  and  worship  her. 

"  You  have  done  as  much,"  said  she,  "  as 
any  man  could  do,  and  more. ' ' 

Then  she  held  out  her  hand,  and  he  came  and 
took  it. 

* '  Truly  you  are  a  man, ' '  she  said,  and  look- 
ing steadfastly  into  his  face,  she  added,  "  how 
very,  very  much  I  owe  you!  " 

He  didn't  say  anything  at  all,  this  Dickory; 
just  stood  and  looked  at  her.  As  many  a  one 
has  been  before,  he  was  more  grateful  for  the 

51 


KATE   BONNET 

danger  out  of  which  he  had  plucked  the  fair 
young  woman  than  she  was  thankful  for  the  de- 
liverance. 

Just  then  Dame  Charter  called  them  to  break- 
fast. When  they  were  at  the  table,  they  talked 
of  what  was  to  be  done  next ;  and  as,  above  every- 
thing else,  Miss  Kate  desired  to  know  where  her 
father  was  and  why  he  hadn't  come  aboard  the 
Sarah  "Williams,  Dickory  offered  to  go  to  the 
town  for  news. 

"  I  hate  to  ask  too  much,  after  all  you  have 
done/'  said  the  girl,  "  but  after  you  have  seen 
my  father  and  told  him  everything,  for  he  must 
be  in  sore  trouble,  would  you  mind  rowing  to 
our  house  and  bringing  me  some  clothes  ?  Mad- 
am Bonnet  will  understand  what  I  need;  and 
she  too  will  want  to  know  what  has  become 
of  me." 

"  Of  course  I  will  do  that,"  cried  Dickory, 
grateful  for  the  chance  to  do  her  service. 

"  And  if  you  happen  to  see  Mr.  Newcombe 
in  the  town,  will  you  tell  him  where  I  am?  " 

Now  Dickory  gave  no  signs  of  gratitude  for 
a  chance  to  do  her  service,  but  his  mother  spoke 
quickly  enough. 

"  Of  course  he  will  tell  Master  Newcombe," 
said  she,  "  and  anybody  else  you  wish  should 
know. ' ' 

In  ten  minutes  Dickory  was  in  his  canoe,  pad- 
dling to  the  town.  When  he  was  out  of  the  little 
inlet,  on  the  shore  of  which  lay  his  mother's 

52 


AN   UNSUCCESSFUL   ERRAND 

cottage,  he  looked  far  up  and  down  the  broad 
river,  but  he  could  see  nothing  of  the  good  ship 
Sarah  Williams. 

"  I  am  glad  they  have  gone,"  said  Dickory 
to  himself,  "  and  may  they  never  come  back 
again.  It  is  a  pity  that  Major  Bonnet  should 
lose  his  ship,  but  as  things  have  turned  out,  it 
is  better  for  him  to  lose  it  than  to  have  it." 

When  he  had  fastened  his  canoe  to  a  little 
j)ier  in  the  town  with  a  rope  which  he  borrowed, 
having  now  none  of  his  own,  Dickory  soon  heard 
strange  news.  The  man  who  owned  the  rope  told 
him  that  Major  Bonnet  had  gone  off  in  his  ves- 
sel, which  had  sailed  out  of  the  harbour  in  the 
night,  showing  no  light.  And,  although  many 
people  had  talked  of  this  strange  proceeding,  no- 
body knew  whether  he  had  gone  of  his  own  free 
will  or  against  it. 

"  Of  course  it  was  against  his  will,"  cried 
Dickory.  "  The  ship  was  stolen,  and  they  have 
stolen  him  with  it.  The  wretches !  The  beasts ! ' ' 
And  then  he  went  up  into  the  town. 

Some  men  were  talking  at  the  door  of  a 
baker's  shop,  and  the  baker  himself,  a  stout 
young  man,  came  out. 

' '  Oh,  yes, ' '  said  he,  ' l  we  know  now  what  it 
means.  The  good  Major  Bonnet  has  gone  off 
pirating;  he  thinks  he  can  make  more  money 
that  way  than  by  attending  to  his  plantation. 
The  townspeople  suspected  him  last  night,  and 
now  they  know  what  he  is." 

53 


KATE   BONNET 

At  this  moment  Master  Dickory  jumped  upon 
the  baker,  and  both  went  down.  When  Dickory 
got  up,  the  baker  remained  where  he  was,  and 
it  was  plain  enough  to  everybody  that  the  nerves 
and  muscles  of  even  a  vigorous  young  man  were 
greatly  weakened  by  the  confined  occupation  of 
a  baker. 

Dickory  now  went  further  to  ask  more,  and  he 
soon  heard  enough.  The  respectable  Major  Bon- 
net had  gone  away  in  his  own  ship  with  a  savage 
crew,  far  beyond  the  needs  of  the  vessel,  and  if 
he  had  not  gone  pirating,  what  had  he  gone  for? 
And  to  this  question  Dickory  replied  every  time: 
"  He  went  because  he  was  taken  away."  He 
would  not  give  up  his  faith  in  Kate  Bonnet's 
father. 

' '  And  Greenway, ' '  the  people  said.  ' '  Why 
should  they  take  him!  He  is  of  no  good  on  a 
ship." 

On  this,  Dickory 's  heart  fell  further.  He  had 
been  troubled  about  the  Scotchman,  but  had 
tried  not  to  think  of  him. 

' '  The  scoundrels  have  stolen  them  both,  with 
the  vessel,"  he  said;  and  as  he  spoke  his  soul 
rose  upward  at  the  thought  of  what  he  had  done 
for  Kate ;  and  as  that  had  been  done,  what  mat- 
tered it  after  all  what  had  happened  to  other 
people! 

Five  minutes  afterward  a  man  came  running 
through  the  town  with  the  news  that  old  Bon- 
net's daughter,  Miss  Kate,  had  also  gone  away 

•   54 


AN   UNSUCCESSFUL   ERRAND 

in  the  ship.  She  was  not  at  home ;  she  was  not 
in  the  town. 

1 '  That  settles  it !  ' '  said  some  people.  ' '  The 
black-hearted  rascal!  He  has  gone  of  his  own 
accord,  and  he  has  taken  Greenway  and  his  fair 
young  daughter  with  him." 

"  And  what  do  you  think  of  that?  "  said 
some  to  the  doubter  Dickory. 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it!  "  said  he; 
and  not  wishing  on  his  own  responsibility  to  tell 
what  he  knew  of  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet,  he  rowed 
up  the  river  towards  the  Bonnet  plantation  to 
carry  her  message.  On  his  way,  whom  should 
he  see,  hurrying  along  the  road  by  the  river 
bank  coming  towards  the  town  and  looking  hot 
and  worried,  but  Mr.  Martin  Xewcombe.  At  the 
sight  of  the  boat  he  stopped. 

' '  Ho !  young  man, ' '  he  cried,  ' '  you  are  from 
the  town;  has  anything  fresh  been  heard  about 
Major  Bonnet  and  his  daughter?  " 

Now  here  was  the  best  and  easiest  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  the  third  thing  which  Kate  had 
asked  him  to  do;  but  his  heart  did  not  bound 
to  do  it.  He  sat  and  looked  at  the  man  on  the 
river  bank. 

"  Don't  you  hear  me?  "  cried  Newcombe. 
"  Has  anybody  heard  further  from  the  Bon- 
nets? " 

Dickory  still  sat  motionless,  gazing  at  New- 
combe. He  didn't  want  to  tell  this  man  any- 
thing.   He  didn't  want  to  have  anything  to  do 

55 


KATE   BONNET 

with  him.  He  hesitated,  but  he  could  not  forget 
the  third  thing  he  had  been  asked  to  do,  and  who 
had  asked  him  to  do  it.  Whatever  happened, 
he  must  be  loyal  to  her  and  her  wishes,  and  so 
he  said,  with  but  little  animation  in  his  voice, 
"  Major  Bonnet's  daughter  did  not  go  with 
him. ' ' 

Instantly  came  a  great  cry  from  the  shore. 
"  Where  is  she?  Where  is  she?  Come  closer 
to  land  and  tell  me  everything !  ' ' 

This  was  too  much!  Dickory  did  not  like 
the  tone  of  the  man  on  shore,  who  had  no  right 
to  command  him  in  that  fashion. 

' '  I  have  no  time  to  stop  now, ' '  said  he ;  "  I 
am  carrying  a  message  to  Madam  Bonnet. ' ' 

And  so  he  paddled  away,  somewhat  nearer 
the  middle  of  the  river. 

Martin  Newcombe  was  wild;  he  ran  and  he 
bounded  on  his  way  to  the  Bonnet  house;  he 
called  and  he  shouted  to  Dickory,  but  appar- 
ently that  young  person  was  too  far  away  to  hear 
him.  When  the  canoe  touched  the  shore,  almost 
at  the  spot  where  the  fair  Kate  had  been  fishing 
with  a  hook  lying  in  the  sun,  Newcombe  was 
already  there. 

"  Tell  me,"  he  cried,  "  tell  me  about  Miss 
Kate  Bonnet!  What  has  befallen  her!  If 
she  did  not  go  with  her  father,  where  is  she 
now?  " 

' '  I  have  come, ' '  said  Dickory  sturdily,  as  he 
fastened  his  boat  with  the  borrowed  rope,  ' '  with 

56 


AN   UNSUCCESSFUL   ERRAND 

a  message  for  Madam  Bonnet,  and  I  cannot  talk 
with  anybody  until  I  have  delivered  it. ' ' 

Madam  Bonnet  saw  the  two  persons  hurrying 
towards  her  house,  and  she  came  out  in  a  fine 
fury  to  meet  them. 

"  Have  you  heard  from  my  runaway  hus- 
band," she  cried,  "  and  from  his  daughter?  I 
am  ashamed  to  hear  news  of  them,  but  I  suppose 
I  am  in  duty  bound  to  listen." 

Dickory  did  not  hesitate  now  to  tell  what  he 
knew,  or  at  least  part  of  it. 

"  Your  daughter—"  said  he. 

"  She  is  not  my  daughter,"  cried  the  lady; 
1 '  thank  Heaven  I  am  spared  that  disgrace.  And 
from  what  hiding-place  does  she  and  her  sire 
send  me  a  message?  " 

Dickory  Js  face  flushed. 

"  I  bring  no  message  from  a  hiding-place," 
he  said,  ' '  nor  any  from  your  husband.  He  went 
to  sea  in  his  ship,  but  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  left 
the  vessel  before  it  sailed,  and  her  clothes  having 
been  injured  by  water,  she  sent  me  for  what  a 
young  lady  in  her  station  might  need,  supposing 
rightly  that  you  would  know  what  that  might 
be." 

"Indeed  I  do!"  cried  Madam  Bonnet. 
"  What  she  needs  are  the  clouts  of  a  fish-girl, 
and  a  stick  to  her  back  besides." 

"  Madam!  "  cried  Newcombe,  but  she  heed- 
ed him  not ;  she  was  growing  more  angry. 

' '  A  fine  creature  she  is, ' '  exclaimed  the  lady, 
5  57 


KATE   BONNET 

"  to  run  away  from  my  house  in  this  fashion, 
and  treat  me  with  such  contumely,  and  then  to 
order  me  to  send  her  her  fine  clothes  to  deck 
herself  for  the  eyes  of  strangers !  ' ' 

"  But,  young  man,"  cried  Newcomhe, 
"  where  is  she?  Tell  that  without  further  de- 
lay.   Where  is  she?  " 

"  I  don't  care  where  she  is!  "  interrupted 
Madam  Bonnet.  ' '  It  matters  not  to  me  whether 
she  is  in  the  town,  or  sitting  waiting  for  her  finery 
on  the  bridge.  If  she  didn't  go  with  her  father 
(cowardly  sneak  that  he  is),  that  gives  her  less 
reason  to  stay  away  all  night  from  her  home, 
and  send  her  orders  to  me  in  the  morning.  No, 
I  will  have  none  of  that!  If  my  husband's 
daughter  wants  anything  of  me,  let  her  come 
here  and  ask  for  it,  first  giving  me  the  reason 
of  her  shameful  conduct." 

"  Madam!  "  cried  Newcombe,  "  I  cannot 
listen  to  such  speech,  such " 

"  Then  stop  your  ears  with  your  thumbs," 
she  exclaimed,  "  and  you  will  not  hear  it." 

Then  turning  to  Dickory:  "  Now,  go  you, 
and  tell  the  young  woman  who  sent  you  here 
she  must  come  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  if  she 
can  get  them,  and  she  must  tell  me  her  tale  and 
her  father 's  tale,  without  a  lie  mixed  up  in  them ; 
and  when  she  has  done  this,  and  has  humbly 
asked  my  pardon  for  the  foul  affront  she  has 
put  upon  me,  then  it  will  be  time  enough  to  talk 
of  fine  clothes  and  fripperies. ' ' 

58 


AX   UNSUCCESSFUL   ERRAND 

Newcombe  now  expostulated  with  much 
temper,  but  Dickory  gave  him  little  chance  to 
speak. 

' '  I  carry  no  such  message  as  that, ' '  he  said. 
"  Do  you  truly  mean  that  you  deny  the  young 
lady  the  apparel  she  needs,  and  that  I  am  to  tell 
her  that?  " 

' '  Get  away  from  here !  ' '  cried  Madam  Bon- 
net, with  her  face  in  a  blaze.  "  I  send  her  no 
message  at  all;  and  if  she  comes  here  on  her 
knees,  I  shall  spurn  her,  if  it  suit  me." 

If  Dickory  had  waited  a  little  he  might  have 
heard  more,  but  he  did  not  wait;  he  quickly 
turned,  and  away  he  went  in  his  boat.  And 
away  went  Martin  Newcombe  after  him.  But 
as  the  younger  man  was  barefooted,  the  other 
one  could  not  keep  up  with  him,  and  the  canoe 
was  pushed  off  before  he  reached  the  water's 
edge. 

"  Stop,  you  young  rascal!  "  cried  New- 
combe. "  Where  is  Kate  Bonnet?  Stop!  and 
tell  me  where  she  is!  " 

Troubled  as  he  was  at  the  tale  he  was  going 
to  tell,  Dickory  laughed  aloud,  and  he  paddled 
down  the  river  as  few  in  that  region  had  ever 
paddled  before. 

Madam  Bonnet  went  into  her  house,  and  if 
she  had  met  a  maid-servant,  it  might  have  been 
bad  for  that  poor  woman.  She  was  not  troubled 
about  Kate.  She  knew  the  young  man  to  be 
Dickory  Charter,  and  she  was  quite  sure  that  her 

59 


KATE   BONNET 

step-daughter  was  iu  his  mother's  cottage.  Why 
she  happened  to  be  there,  and  what  had  become 
of  the  recreant  Bonnet,  the  equally  recreant 
young  woman  could  come  and  tell  her  whenever 
she  saw  fit. 


60 


CHAPTER   VI 

A   PAIR   OF   SHOES   AND    STOCKINGS 


HE  tide  was  running  down,  and  Dick- 
ory  made  a  swift  passage  to  the  town. 
Seeing  on  the  pier  the  man  from 
whom  he  had  borrowed  the  rope,  he  stopped  to 
return  him  his  property,  and  thinking  that  the 
good  people  of  the  town  should  know  that,  no 
matter  what  had  befallen  Major  Bonnet,  his 
daughter  had  not  gone  with  him  and  was  safe 
among  friends,  he  mentioned  these  facts  to  the 
man,  but  with  very  few  details,  being  in  a  hurry 
to  return  with  his  message. 

Before  he  turned  into  the  inlet,  Dickory  was 
called  from  the  shore,  and  to  his  surprise  he  saw 
his  mother  standing  on  the  bank  in  front  of  a 
mass  of  bushes,  which  concealed  her  from  her 
house. 

"  Come  here,  Dickory,"  she  said,  "  and  tell 
me  what  you  have  heard!  " 

Her  son  told  his  doleful  tale. 

"  I  fear  me,  mother,"  he  said,  "  that  Major 

61 


KATE    BONNET 

Bonnet's  ship  has  gone  on  some  secret  and  bad 
business,  and  that  he  is  mixed  up  in  it.  Else 
why  did  he  desert  his  daughter!  And  if  he  in- 
tended to  take  her  with  him,  that  was  worse. ' ' 

"  I  don't  know,  Dickory,"  said  good  Dame 
Charter  reflectively ;  "  we  must  not  be  too  quick 
to  believe  harm  of  our  fellow-beings.  It  does 
look  bad,  as  the  townspeople  thought,  that  Major 
Bonnet  should  own  such  a  ship  with  such  a 
strange  crew,  but  he  is  a  man  who  knows  his 
own  business,  and  may  have  had  good  reason 
for  what  he  has  done.  He  might  have  been  sail- 
ing out  to  some  foreign  part  to  bring  back  a  rich 
cargo,  and  needed  stout  men  to  defend  it  from 
the  pirates  that  he  might  meet  with  on  the  seas." 

"  But  his  daughter,  mother,"  said  Dickory; 
"  how  could  he  have  left  her  as  he  did!  That 
was  shameful,  and  even  you  must  admit  it." 

"  Not  so  fast,  Dickory,"  said  she;  "  there 
are  other  ways  of  looking  at  things  than  the  way 
in  which  we  look  at  them.  He  had  intended  to 
take  Mistress  Kate  on  a  little  trip ;  she  told  me 
that  herself.  And  most  likely,  having  changed 
his  mind  on  account  of  the  suspicions  in  the  town, 
he  sent  word  to  her  to  return  to  her  home,  which 
message  she  did  not  get. ' ' 

Dickory  considered. 

"  Yes,  mother,"  he  said,  "  it  might  have 
been  that  way,  but  I  don't  believe  that  he  went 
of  his  own  accord,  and  I  don't  believe  that  he 
would  take  Ben  Greenway  with  him.     I  think, 

62 


A  PAIR   OF   SHOES  AND   STOCKINGS 

mother,  that  they  were  both  stolen  with  the 
ship. ' ' 

1 '  That  might  be, ' '  said  his  mother,  ' '  but  we 
have  no  right  to  take  such  a  view  of  it,  and  to 
impart  it  to  his  daughter.  If  he  went  away  of 
his  own  accord,  everything  will  doubtless  be 
made  right,  and  we  shall  know  his  reasons  for 
what  he  has  done.  It  is  not  for  us  to  make  up 
our  minds  that  Major  Bonnet  and  good  Ben 
Greenway  have  been  carried  off  by  wicked  men, 
for  this  would  be  sad  indeed  for  that  fair  girl  to 
believe.  So  remember,  Dickory,  that  it  is  our 
duty  always  to  think  the  best  of  everything.  And 
now  I  will  go  through  the  underbrush  to  the 
house,  and  when  you  get  there  yourself  you  must 
tell  your  story  as  if  you  had  not  told  it  to  me. ' ' 

Before  Dickory  had  reached  his  mother's 
cottage  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  came  running  to 
meet  him,  and  she  did  not  seem  to  be  the  same 
girl  he  had  left  that  morning.  Her  clothes  had 
been  dried  and  smoothed;  even  her  hat,  which 
had  been  found  in  the  boat,  had  been  made 
shapely  and  wearable,  and  its  ribbons  floated  in 
the  breeze.  Dickory  glanced  at  her  feet,  and  as 
he  did  so,  a  thrill  of  strange  delight  ran  through 
him.  He  saw  his  own  Sunday  shoes,  with  silver 
buckles,  and  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  pair  of 
brown  stockings,  which  he  knew  went  always 
with  those  shoes. 

"  I  am  quite  myself  again,"  she  said,  notic- 
ing his  wide  eyes,  "  and  your  mother  has  been 

63 


KATE   BONNET 

good  enough  to  lend  me  a  pair  of  your  shoes  and 
stockings.  Mine  are  so  utterly  ruined,  and  I 
could  not  walk  barefooted. ' ' 

Dickory  was  so  filled  with  pride  that  this  fair 
being  could  wear  his  shoes,  and  that  she  was 
wearing  them,  that  he  could  only  mumble  some 
stupid  words  about  being  so  glad  to  serve  her. 
And  she,  wise  girl,  said  nothing  about  the  quan- 
tities of  soft  cotton-wool  which  Dame  Charter 
had  been  obliged  to  stuff  into  the  toes  before 
they  would  stay  upon  the  small  feet  they  cov- 
ered. 

"  But  my  father,"  cried  Kate,  "  what  of 
him!    Where  is  he!  " 

Now  Dame  Charter  was  with  them,  her  eyes 
hard  fixed  upon  her  son. 

Dickory,  mindful  of  those  eyes,  told  her  what 
he  had  to  tell,  saying  as  little  as  possible  about 
Major  Bonnet— because,  of  course,  all  that  he 
knew  about  him  was  mere  hearsay— but  dilating 
with  much  vigour  upon  the  shameful  conduct  of 
Madam  Bonnet ;  for  the  young  lady  ought  surely 
to  know  what  sort  of  a  woman  her  father's  wife 
really  was,  and  what  she  might  expect  if  she 
should  return  to  her  house.  He  could  have  said 
even  more  about  the  interview  with  the  angry 
woman,  but  his  mother's  eyes  were  upon  him. 

Kate  heard  everything  without  a  word,  and 
then  she  burst  into  tears. 

' '  My  father, ' '  she  sobbed, ' '  carried  away,  or 
gone  away,  and  one  is  as  bad  as  the  other !  ' 

64 


A  PAIR  OF  SHOES  AND  STOCKINGS 

"  Diekory,"  said  Daine  Charter,  "  go  cut 
some  wood ;  there  is  none  ready  for  the  kitchen. ' ' 

Diekory  went  away,  not  sorry,  for  he  did  not 
know  how  to  deport  himself  with  a  young  lady 
whose  heart  was  so  sorely  tried.  He  might  have 
discovered  a  way,  if  he  had  been  allowed  to  do 
so ;  but  that  would  not  have  been  possible  with 
his  mother  present.  But,  in  spite  of  her  sorrow, 
his  heart  sang  to  him  that  she  was  wearing  his 
shoes  and  stockings !  Then  he  cheerfully  brought 
down  his  axe  upon  the  wood  for  the  dinner's 
cooking. 

Dame  Charter  led  the  weeping  girl  to  the 
bench,  and  they  talked  long  together.  There  was 
no  optimist  in  all  the  British  colonies,  nor  for 
that  matter  in  those  belonging  to  France  or 
Spain,  or  even  to  the  Dutch,  who  was  a  more 
conscientious  follower  of  her  creed  than  Dame 
Charter.  She  sat  by  Kate  and  she  talked  to  her 
until  the  girl  stopped  sobbing  and  began  to  see 
for  herself  that  her  father  knew  his  own  business, 
and  that  he  had  most  certainly  sent  her  a  message 
to  go  on  shore,  which  had  not  been  delivered. 

As  to  poor  Ben  Greenway,  the  good  woman 
was  greatly  relieved  that  her  son  had  not  men- 
tioned him,  and  she  took  care  not  to  do  it  herself. 
She  did  not  wish  to  strain  her  optimism.  Kate, 
having  so  much  else  upon  her  mind,  never 
thought  of  this  good  man. 

When  Diekory  came  back,  he  first  looked  to 
see  if  Kate  still  wore  his  shoes  and  stockings, 

65 


KATE   BONNET 

and  then  he  began  to  ask  what  there  was  that  he 
might  now  do.  He  would  go  again  to  the  town 
if  he  might  be  of  use.  But  Kate  had  no  errand 
for  him  there.  Dickory  had  told  her  how  he 
had  been  with  Mr.  Newcombe  at  her  home,  and 
therefore  there  was  no  need  of  her  sending  him 
another  message. 

"  I  don't  know  where  to  go  or  where  to 
send, ' '  she  said  simply ;  ' '  I  am  lost,  and  that  is 
all  of  it." 

"  Oh,  no,"  cried  Dame  Charter,  "  not  that! 
You  are  with  good  friends,  and  here  you  can 
stay  just  as  long  as  you  like." 

"  Indeed  she  can!  "  said  Dickory,  as  if  he 
were  making  a  response  in  church. 

His  mother  looked  at  him  and  said  nothing. 
And  then  she  took  Kate  out  into  a  little  grove 
behind  the  house  to  see  if  she  could  find  some 
ripe  oranges. 

It  was  a  fair  property,  although  not  large, 
which  belonged  to  the  Widow  Charter.  Her 
husband  had  been  a  thriving  man,  although  a 
little  inclined  to  speculations  in  trade  which  were 
entirely  out  of  his  line,  and  when  he  met  his 
death  in  the  sea  he  left  her  nothing  but  her  home 
and  some  inconsiderable  land  about  it.  Dickory 
had  been  going  to  a  grammar-school  in  the  town, 
and  was  considered  a  fair  scholar,  but  with  his 
father's  death  all  that  stopped,  and  the  boy  was 
obliged  to  go  to  work  to  do  what  he  could  for 
his  mother.    And  ever  since  he  had  been  doing 

66 


A  PAIR   OF  SHOES  AXD  STOCKINGS 

what  lie  could,  without  regard  to  appearances, 
thinking  only  of  the  money. 

But  on  Sunday,  when  he  rowed  his  mother  to 
church,  he  wore  good  clothes,  being  especially 
proud  of  his  buckled  shoes  and  his  long  brown 
hose,  which  were  always  of  good  quality. 

They  were  eating  dinner  when  oars  were 
heard  on  the  river,  and  in  a  moment  a  boat  swung 
around  into  the  inlet.  In  the  stern  sat  Master 
Martin  Xewcombe,  and  two  men  were  rowing. 

Now  Dickory  Charter  swore  in  his  heart,  al- 
though he  was  not  accustomed  to  any  sort  of 
blasphemy;  and  as  Miss  Kate  gazed  eagerly 
through  the  open  window,  our  young  friend  nar- 
rowly scrutinized  her  face  to  see  if  she  were  glad 
or  not.  She  was  glad,  that  was  plain  enough, 
and  he  went  out  sullenly  to  receive  the  arriving 
interloper. 

When  they  were  all  standing  on  the  shore, 
Kate  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  ask  Master 
Newcombe  how  he  happened  to  know  where  she 
was.  But  the  young  man  waited  for  no  ques- 
tions ;  he  went  on  to  tell  his  story.  "When  he  re- 
lated that  it  was  a  man  fishing  on  a  pier  who  had 
told  him  that  young  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  was 
stopping  with  Dame  Charter,  Kate  wondered 
greatly,  for  as  Dickory  had  met  Master  Xew- 
combe, what  need  had  there  been  for  the  latter  to 
ask  questions  about  her  of  a  stranger  ?  But  she 
said  nothing.  And  Dickory  growled  in  his  soul 
that  he  had  ever  spoken  to  the  man  on  the  pier, 

67 


KATE   BONNET 

except  to  thank  him  for  the  rope  he  had  bor- 
rowed. 

Martin  Newcombe's  story  went  on,  and  he 
told  that,  having  been  extremely  angered  by  the 
conduct  and  words  of  Madam  Bonnet,  he  had 
gone  into  the  town  and  made  inquiries,  hoping 
to  hear  something  of  the  whereabouts  of  Mistress 
Kate.  And,  having  done  so,  by  means  of  the 
very  obliging  person  on  the  pier,  he  had  deter- 
mined that  the  daughter  of  Major  Bonnet  should 
have  her  rights ;  and  he  had  gone  to  his  own  law- 
yer, who  assured  him  that  being  a  person  of 
recognised  respectability,  possessing  property, 
he  was  fully  authorized,  knowing  the  wishes  of 
Mistress  Kate  Bonnet,  to  go  to  her  step-mother 
and  demand  that  those  wishes  be  complied  with ; 
and  if  this  very  reasonable  request  should  be 
denied,  then  the  lawyer  would  take  up  the  mat- 
ter himself,  and  would  see  to  it  that  reasonable 
raiment  and  the  necessities  of  a  young  lady 
should  not  be  withheld  from  her. 

With  these  instructions,  Newcombe  had  gone 
to  Madam  Bonnet  and  had  found  that  much  dis- 
turbed lady  in  a  state  of  partial  collapse,  which 
had  followed  her  passion  of  the  morning,  and 
who  had  declared  that  nothing  in  the  world  would 
please  her  better  than  to  get  rid  of  her  husband 's 
daughter  and  never  see  her  again.  And  if  the 
creature  needed  clothes  or  anything  else  which 
belonged  to  her,  a  maid  should  pack  them  up, 
and  anybody  who  pleased  might  take  them  to 

68 


A  PAIR   OF  SHOES  AND  STOCKINGS 

any  place,  provided  she  heard  no  more  about 
them  or  their  owner. 

In  all  this  she  spoke  most  truthfully,  for 
she  hated  her  step-daughter,  both  because  she 
was  a  fine  young  woman  and  much  regarded 
by  her  father,  and  because  she  had  certain  rights 
to  the  estate  of  said  father,  which  his  present 
wife  did  not  wish  to  recognise,  or  even  to  think 
about.  So  Martin  Newcombe  was  perfectly  wel- 
come to  take  away  such  things  as  would  render 
it  unnecessary  for  the  girl  to  now  return  to  the 
home  in  which  she  had  been  born.  Martin  had 
brought  the  box,  and  here  he  was. 

It  was  not  long  before  Newcombe  and  the 
lady  of  his  love  were  walking  away  through  the 
little  plantation,  in  order  that  they  might  speak 
by  themselves.  Dickory  looked  after  them  and 
frowned,  but  he  bravely  comforted  himself  by 
thinking  that  he  had  been  the  one  into  whose 
arms  she  had  dropped,  through  the  blackness  of 
the  night  and  the  blackness  of  the  water,  know- 
ing in  her  heart  that  he  would  be  there  ready 
for  her,  and  also  by  the  thought  that  it  was 
his  shoes  and  stockings  that  she  wore.  Dame 
Charter  saw  this  frown  on  her  son's  face,  but 
she  did  not  guess  the  thoughts  which  were  in 
his  mind. 


69 


CHAPTER    VII 


KATE   PLANS 


T  was  nearly  an  hour  before 
Kate  and  Mr.  Newcombe  re- 
turned, and  when  they  came 
hack  they  did  not  look  happy.  Dickory  observed 
their  sad  visages,  but  the  sight  did  not  make 
him  sad.  Kate  took  Dame  Charter  by  the  hand 
and  led  her  to  the  bench. 

"  You  have  been  so  kind  to  me,"  she  said, 
"  that  I  have  almost  come  to  look  upon  you  as 
a  mother,  even  though  I  have  known  you  such 
a  little  while,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  what  I  have 
been  talking  about,  and  what  I  think  I  am  going 
to  do." 

Mr.  Xewcombe  now  stood  by,  and  Dickory 
also.  His  mother  was  not  quite  sure  that  this 
was  the  right  place  for  him,  but  as  he  had  al- 
ready done  so  much  for  the  vounsr  ladv,  there 
was,  perhaps,  no  reason  why  he  should  be  de- 
barred from  hearing  what  she  had  to  say. 

"  This   gentleman,"   said   Kate,   indicating 

70 


KATE   PLANS 

Martin  Newcombe,  "  sympathizes  with  me  very 
greatly  in  my  present  unfortunate  position :  hav- 
ing no  home  to  which  I  can  go,  and  having  no 
relative  belonging  to  this  island  but  my  father, 
who  is  sailing  upon  the  seas,  I  know  not  where ; 
and  therefore,  in  his  great  kindness,  has  offered 
to  marry  me  and  to  take  me  to  his  home,  which 
thereafter  would  be  my  home,  and  in  which  I 
should  have  all  comforts  and  rights." 

Now  Dickory's  face  was  like  the  sky  before 
a  shower.  His  mother  saw  it  out  of  the  corner 
of  her  eye,  but  the  others  did  not  look  at  him. 

"  This  was  very  kind  and  very  good,"  con- 
tinued Kate. 

"  Not  at  all,  not  at  all,"  interrupted  Master 
Newcombe,  "  except  that  it  was  kind  and  good 
to  myself;  for  there  is  nothing  in  this  world 
which  you  need  and  want  as  much  as  I  need 
and  want  you. ' ' 

At  this  Dickory's  brow  grew  darker. 

"  I  believe  all  you  say,"  said  Kate,  "  for  I 
am  sure  you  are  an  honest  and  a  true  man,  but, 
as  I  told  you,  I  cannot  marry  you ;  for,  even  had 
I  made  up  my  mind  on  the  subject,  which  I  have 
not,  I  could  not  marry  any  one  at  such  a  time 
as  this,  not  knowing  my  father's  will  upon  the 
subject  or  where  he  is." 

The  sun  broke  out  on  Dickory's  countenance 
without  a  shower ;  his  mother  noticed  the  change. 

"  But  as  I  must  do  something,"  Kate  went 
on,  "  a  plan  came  to  me  while  Mr.  Newcombe 

71 


KATE   BONNET 

was  talking  to  me,  and  I  have  been  thinking  of 
it  ever  since,  and  now,  as  1  speak,  I  am  becoming 
fully  determined  in  regard  to  it;  that  is,  if  I 
can  carry  it  out.  It  often  happens,"  she  said, 
with  a  faint  smile,  ' '  that  when  people  ask  advice 
they  become  more  and  more  strengthened  in 
their  own  opinion.  My  opinion,  and  I  may  say 
my  plan,  is  this :  When  my  father  told  me  he  was 
going  away  in  his  ship,  he  agreed  to  take  me  with 
him  on  a  little  voyage,  leaving  me  with  my 
mother's  brother  at  the  island  of  Jamaica,  not 
far  from  Spanish  Town.  In  purposing  this  he 
thought,  no  doubt,  that  it  would  be  far  better  for 
me  to  be  with  my  own  blood,  if  his  voyage  should 
be  long,  rather  than  to  live  with  one  who  is  no 
relative  of  mine,  and  does  not  wish  to  act  like 
one.  This,  then,  being  my  father's  intention, 
which  he  was  prevented,  by  reasons  which  I 
know  not  of,  from  carrying  out,  I  shall  carry  it 
out  myself  with  all  possible  dispatch,  and  go  to 
my  uncle  in  Jamaica  by  the  earliest  vessel  which 
sails  from  this  port.  Not  only  as  this  is  my 
natural  refuge  in  my  trouble,  but  as  my  father 
intended  to  go  there  when  he  thought  of  having 
me  with  him,  it  may  be  a  part  of  his  plan  to 
go  there  any  way,  even  though  I  be  not  with 
him ;  and  so  I  may  see  him,  and  all  may  be  well. ' ' 
Clouds  now  settled  heavily  on  the  faces  of 
each  of  the  young  men,  and  even  the  ordinarily 
bright  sky  of  Dame  Charter  became  somewhat 
overcast ;  although,  in  her  heart,  she  did  not  be- 

72 


KATE   PLANS 

lieve  that  anybody  in  this  world  could  have  de- 
vised a  better  plan,  under  the  circumstances, 
than  this  forsaken  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet. 

"  Now  there  is  my  plan/'  said  Kate,  with 
something  of  cheerfulness  in  her  voice,  "  if  it 
so  be  I  can  carry  it  out.  Do  either  of  vou  know, ' ' 
glancing  at  the  young  men  impartially,  but  ap- 
parently not  noticing  the  bad  weather,  "  if  in  a 
reasonable  time  a  vessel  will  leave  here  for  Ja- 
maica? " 

Dickory  knew  well,  but  he  would  not  answer ; 
Kate  had  no  right  to  put  such  a  thing  upon  him. 
Newcombe,  however,  did  not  hesitate.  "It  is 
very  hard  for  me  to  say,"  he  made  reply,  "  but 
there  is  a  merchantman,  the  King  and  Queen, 
which  sails  from  here  in  three  days  for  Jamaica. 
I  know  this,  for  I  send  some  goods ;  and  I  wish, 
Mistress  Bonnet,  that  I  could  say  something 
against  your  sailing  in  her,  but  I  cannot;  for, 
since  you  will  not  let  me  take  care  of  you,  your 
uncle  is  surely  the  best  one  in  the  world  to  do 
it;  and  as  to  the  vessel,  I  know  she  is  a  safe 
one. ' ' 

"  But  you  could  not  go  sailing  away  in  any 
vessel  by  yourself,"  cried  Dame  Charter,  "  no 
matter  how  safe  she  may  be. ' ' 

"  Oh,  no!  "  cried  Kate;  "  and  the  more  we 
talk  about  our  plan  the  more  fully  it  reveals 
itself  to  me  in  all  its  various  parts.  I  am  going 
to  ask  you  to  go  with  me.  my  dear  Dame  Char- 
ter," and  as  she  spoke  she  seized  both  of  the 
6  73 


KATE   BONNET 

hands  of  the  other.  "  I  have  funds  of  my  own 
which  are  invested  in  the  town,  and  I  can  afford 
the  expense.  Surely,  my  good  friend,  you  will 
not  let  me  go  forth  alone,  and  all  unused  to 
travel?  Leaving  me  safely  with  my  uncle,  you 
could  return  when  the  ship  came  back  to  Bridge- 
town. ' ' 

Dame  Charter  turned  upon  the  girl  a  look  of 
kind  compassion,  but  at  the  same  time  she  knit 
her  brows. 

' '  Right  glad  would  I  be  to  do  that  for  you, ' ' 
she  said,  "  but  I  cannot  go  away  and  leave  my 
son,  who  has  onh  me." 

"  Take  him  with  you,"  cried  Kate.  "  Two 
women  travelling  to  unknown  shores  might  read- 
ily need  a  protector,  and  if  not,  there  are  so  many 
things  which  he  might  do.  Think  of  it,  my  dear 
Dame  Charter;  to  my  uncle's  home  in  Jamaica 
is  the  only  place  to  which  I  can  go,  and  if  you 
do  not  go  with  me,  how  can  I  go  there?  " 

Dame  Charter  now  shed  tears,  but  they  were 
the  tears  of  one  good  woman  feeling  for  the  mis- 
fortunes of  another. 

1 '  I  will  go  with  you,  my  dear  young  lady, ' ' 
she  said,  ' '  and  I  will  not  leave  you  until  you  are 
in  your  uncle 's  care.    And,  as  to  my  boy  here— ' ' 

Now  Dickory  spoke  from  out  of  the  blazing 
noontide  of  his  countenance. 

1 '  Oh,  I  will  go !  "  he  cried.  "  I  do  so  greatly 
want  to  see  Jamaica." 

Without  being  noticed,  his  mother  took  him 

74 


KATE   PLANS 

by  the  hand;  she  did  not  know  what  he  might 
be  tempted  to  say  next. 

Mr.  Newcombe  stood  very  doleful.  And  well 
he  might ;  for  if  his  lady-love  went  away  in  this 
fashion,  there  was  good  reason  to  suppose  that 
he  might  never  see  her  again.  But  Kate  said 
no  word  to  comfort  him— for  how  could  she  in 
this  company!— and  began  to  talk  rapidly  about 
her  preparations. 

"  I  suppose  until  the  ship  shall  sail  I  may 
stay  with  you  ?  ' '  addressing  Dame  Charter. 

"  Stay  here?  "  exclaimed  the  good  dame. 
1 '  Of  course  you  can  stay  here.  We  are  like  one 
family  now,  and  we  will  all  go  on  board  ship 
together. ' ' 

Kate  walked  to  the  boat  with  Mr.  Xewcombe, 
he  having  offered  to  undertake  her  business  in 
town  and  at  her  father's  house,  and  to  see  the 
owners  of  the  King  and  Queen  in  regard  to  pas- 
sage. 

Dickory  stood  radiant,  speaking  to  no  one. 
Master  Martin  Xewcombe  was  the  lover  of  Mis- 
tress Kate  Bonnet,  but  he,  Dickory,  was  going 
with  her  to  Jamaica ! 

The  following  days  fled  rapidly.  Long-vis- 
aged Martin  Xewcombe,  whose  labours  in  behalf 
of  his  lady  were  truly  labours  of  love,  as  their 
object  was  to  help  her  to  go  where  his  eyes  could 
no  longer  feast  upon  her,  and  from  which  place 
her  voice  would  no  longer  reach  him,  went,  with 
a  bitter  taste  in  his  mouth,  to  visit  Madam  Bon- 

75 


KATE   BONNET 

net,  to  endeavour  to  persuade  her  to  deliver  to 
her  step-daughter  such  further  belongings  as 
that  young  lady  was  in  need  of. 

.That  forsaken  person  was  found  to  be  only 
too  glad  to  comply  with  this  request,  hoping  ear- 
nestly that  neither  the  property  nor  its  owner 
should  ever  again  be  seen  by  her.  She  was  in 
high  spirits,  believing  that  she  was  a  much  better 
manager  of  the  plantation  than  her  eccentric 
husband  had  ever  been,  and  she  had  already  en- 
gaged a  man  to  take  the  place  of  Ben  Greenway, 
who  had  been  a  sore  trouble  to  her  these  many 
years.  She  was  buoyed  up  and  cheered  by  the 
belief  that  the  changes  she  was  making  would 
be  permanent,  and  that  she  would  live  and  die 
the  owner  of  the  plantation.  She  alone,  in  all 
Bridgetown  and  vicinity,  had  no  doubts  what- 
ever in  regard  to  her  husband's  sailing  from 
Barbadoes  in  his  awn  ship,  and  with  a  redun- 
dancy of  rascality  below  its  decks.  The  respect- 
ability and  good  reputation  of  Major  Bonnet  did 
not  blind  her  eyes.  She  had  heard  him  talk  about 
the  humdrum  life  on  shore  and  the  reckless 
glories  of  the  brave  buccaneers,  but  she  had 
never  replied  to  these  remarks,  fearing  that  she 
might  feel  obliged  to  object  to  them,  and  she  did 
not  tell  him  how,  in  late  years,  she  had  heard  him 
talk  in  his  sleep  about  standing,  with  brandished 
sword,  on  the  deck  of  a  pirate  ship.  It  was  her 
dream,  that  his  dreams  might  all  come  true. 

So  Kate's  baggage  was  put  on  board  the 

76 


KATE   PLANS 

King  and  Queen,  a  very  humble  vessel  consider- 
ing her  sounding  name,  and  Dame  Charter's  few 
belongings  were  conveyed  to  the  vessel  in  Dick- 
ory's  canoe,  the  cottage  being  left  in  charge  of 
a  poor  and  well-pleased  neighbour. 

When  the  day  came  for  sailing,  our  friends, 
with  not  a  few  of  the  townspeople,  were  gathered 
upon  the  deck,  where  Kate  at  first  looked  about 
for  Dickory,  not  recognising  at  the  moment  the 
well-dressed  young  fellow  who  had  taken  his 
place.  His  Sunday  costume  became  him  well, 
and  he  was  so  bravely  decked  out  in  the  matter 
of  shoes  and  stockings  that  Kate  did  not  recog- 
nise him. 

To  every  one  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  made 
clear  that  she  was  going  to  her  uncle's  house 
in  Jamaica,  where  she  expected  to  meet  her 
father ;  and  many  were  the  good  wishes  bestowed 
upon  her.  When  the  time  drew  near  when  the 
anchor  should  be  heaved,  Kate  withdrew  to  one 
side  with  Mr.  Xewcombe.  ' '  You  must  believe, ' ' 
said  she  kindly,  "  that  everything  between  us  is 
just  as  it  was  when  we  used  to  sit  on  the  shady 
bank  and  look  out  over  the  ripples  of  the  river. 
There  will  be  waves  instead  of  ripples  for  us  to 
look  over  now,  but  there  will  be  no  change  either 
the  one  way  or  the  other." 

Then  they  shook  hands  fervently ;  more  than 
that  would  have  been  unwarrantable. 

The  King  and  Queen  dropped  down  the 
stream,  and  Master  Xewcombe  stood  sadly  on 

77 


KATE   BONNET 

the  pier,  while  Kate  Bonnet  waved  her  hand- 
kerchief to  him  and  to  her  friends.  Dame  Char- 
ter sat  and  smiled  at  the  town  she  was  leaving 
and  at  the  long  stretches  of  the  river  before  her. 
She  knew  not  to  what  future  she  was  going,  but 
her  heart  was  uplifted  at  the  thought  that  a  new 
life  was  opening  before  her  son.  In  her  little 
cottage  and  in  her  little  fields  there  was  no  future 
for  him,  and  now  to  what  future  might  he  not 
be  sailing! 

As  for  Dickory,  he  knew  no  more  of  his  fu- 
ture than  the  sea-birds  knew  what  was  going  to 
happen  to  them ;  he  cared  no  more  for  his  future 
than  the  clouds  cared  whether  they  were  moving 
east  or  west.  His  life  was  like  the  sparkling 
air  in  which  he  moved  and  breathed.  He  stood 
upon  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  with  the  wind  filling 
the  sails  above,  while  at  a  little  distance  stood 
Kate  Bonnet,  her  ribbons  floating  in  the  breeze. 
He  would  have  been  glad  to  sing  aloud,  but  he 
knew  that  that  would  not  be  proper  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  ladies  and  the  captain.  And  so  he 
let  his  heart  do  his  singing,  which  was  not  heard, 
except  by  himself. 


78 


CHAPTER   VIII 


BEN    GREENWAY    IS    CONVINCED    THAT    BONNET 

IS   A   PIRATE 


UT  how  in  the  name  o'  com- 
mon sense  did  ye  ever  think 
o'  becomin'  a  pirate,  Master 
Bonnet?  "  said  Ben  Greenway  as  they  stood 
together.     "  Ye 're  so  little  fitted  for  a  wicked 

life." 

1 1  Out  upon  you,  Ben  Greenway !  ' '  exclaimed 
the  captain,  beginning  to  stride  up  and  down  the 
little  quarter-deck.  "  I  will  let  you  know^  that 
when  the  time  comes  for  it,  I  can  be  as  wicked 
as  anybody." 

<  <  I  doubt  that, ' '  said  Ben  sturdily.  ' '  Would 
ye  cut  down  an'  murder  the  innocent?  Would 
ye  drive  them  upon  an  unsteady  plank  an'  make 
them  walk  into  the  sea !  Could  ye  raise  thy  great 
sword  upon  the  widow  an'  the  orphan?  " 

"  No  more  of  this  disloyal  speech,"  shouted 
Bonnet,  "  or  I  will  put  you  upon  a  wavering 
plank  and  make  you  walk  into  the  sea." 

?9 


KATE   BONNET 

Xow  Greenway  laughed. 

"  An'  if  ye  did,"  he  said,  "  ye  would  next 
jump  upon  the  plank  yourseP  an'  slide  swiftly 
into  the  waves,  that  ye  might  save  your  old  friend 
an'  servant,  knowin'  he  eanna  swim." 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  said  Bonnet,  folding  his 
arms  and  knitting  his  brows,  "  I  will  not  suffer 
such  speech  from  you.  I  would  sooner  have  on 
board  a  Presbyterian  parson." 

"  An'  a  happier  fate  couldna  befall  ye,"  said 
Ben,  ' '  for  ye  need  a  parson  mair  than  ony  mon 
I  know." 

Bonnet  looked  at  him  for  a  moment. 

"  You  think  so?  "  said  he. 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  said  Ben,  with  unction. 

"  There  now,"  cried  Bonnet,  "  I  told  you, 
Ben,  that  I  could  be  wicked  upon  occasion,  and 
now  you  have  acknowledged  it.  Upon  my  word, 
I  can  be  wickeder  than  common,  as  you  shall 
see  when  good  fortune  helps  us  to  overhaul  a 
prize. ' ' 

The  Revenge  had  been  at  sea  for  about  a  week 
and  all  had  gone  well,  except  she  had  taken  no 
prizes.  The  crew  had  been  obedient  and  fairly 
orderly,  and  if  they  made  fun  of  their  farmer- 
captain  behind  his  back,  they  showed  no  disre- 
spect when  his  eyes  were  upon  them.  The  fact 
was  that  the  most  of  them  had  a  very  great  re- 
spect for  him  as  the  capitalist  of  the  ship's  com- 
pany. 

Big  Sam  had  early  begun  to  sound  the  tein- 

'  80 


BEX  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

per  of  the  men,  but  they  had  not  cared  to  listen 
to  him.  Good  fare  they  had  and  generous  treat- 
ment, and  the  less  they  thought  of  Bonnet  as  a 
navigator  and  commander,  the  more  they  thought 
of  his  promises  of  rich  spoils  to  be  fairly  divided 
with  them  when  they  should  capture  a  Spanish 
galleon  or  any  well-laden  merchantman  bound 
for  the  marts  of  Europe.  In  fact,  when  such 
good  luck  should  befall  them,  they  would  greatly 
] »refer  to  find  themselves  serving  under  Bonnet 
than  under  Big  Sam.  The  latter  was  known  as 
a  greedy  scoundrel,  who  would  take  much  and 
give  little,  being  inclined,  moreover,  to  cheat  his 
shipmates  out  of  even  that  little  if  the  chance 
came  to  him.  Even  Black  Paul,  who  was  an  old 
comrade  of  Big  Sam— the  two  having  done  much 
wickedness  together— paid  no  heed  to  his  pres- 
ent treasons. 

"  Let  the  old  fool  alone,"  he  said;  "  we  fare 
well,  and  our  lives  are  easy,  having  three  men 
to  do  the  work  of  one.  So  say  I,  let  us  sail  on 
and  make  merry  with  his  good  rum ;  his  money- 
chest  is  heavy  yet." 

11  That's  what  I'm  thinking  of,"  said  the 
sailing-master.  "  Why  should  I  be  coursing 
about  here  looking  for  prizes  with  that  chest 
within  reach  of  my  very  arm  whenever  I  choose 
it?  " 

Black  Paul  grinned  and  said  to  himself:  "  It 
is  your  arm,  old  Sam,  that  I  am  afraid  of." 
Then  aloud :  ' '  Xo,  let  him  go.    Let  us  profit  by 

81 


KATE   BONNET 

our  good  treatment  as  long  as  it  lasts,  and  then 
we  will  talk  about  the  money-box." 

Thus  Big  Sam  found  that  his  time  had  not 
arrived,  and  he  swore  in  his  soul  that  his  old 
shipmate  would  some  day  rue  that  he  had  not 
earlier  stood  by  him  in  his  treacherous  schemes. 

So  all  went  on  without  open  discontent,  and 
Bonnet,  having  sailed  northward  for  some  days, 
set  his  course  to  the  southeast,  with  some  hun- 
dred and  fifty  eyes  wide  open  for  the  sight  of  a 
heavy-sailing  merchantman. 

One  morning  they  sighted  a  brig  sailing 
southward,  but  as  she  was  of  no  great  size  and 
not  going  in  the  right  direction  to  make  it  prob- 
able that  she  carried  a  cargo  worth  their  while, 
they  turned  westward  and  ran  towards  Cuba. 
Had  Captain  Bonnet  known  that  his  daughter 
was  on  the  brig  which  he  thus  disdained,  his 
mind  would  have  been  far  different ;  but  as  it 
was,  not  knowing  anything  more  than  he  could 
see,  and  not  understanding  much  of  that,  he  kept 
his  westerly  course,  and  on  the  next  day  the 
lookout  sighted  a  good-sized  merchantman  bear- 
ing eastward. 

Now  bounded  every  heart  upon  the  swiftly 
coursing  vessel  of  the  planter-pirate.  There 
were  men  there  who  had  shared  in  the  taking  of 
many  a  prize ;  who  had  shared  in  the  blood  and 
the  cruelty  and  the  booty;  and  their  brawny 
forms  trembled  with  the  old  excitement  of  the 
sea-chase;  but  no  man's  blood  ran  more  swiftly, 

82 


BEN  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

no  man's  eyes  glared  more  fiercely,  than  those 
of  Captain  Bonnet  as  he  strapped  on  his  jDistols 
and  felt  of  his  sword-hilt. 

1 '  Ah,  ye  needna  glare  so !  "  said  Ben  Green- 
way,  close  at  his  side.  "  Ye  are  no  pirate,  an' 
ye  canna  make  yoursel'  believe  ye  are  ane,  an' 
that  ye  shall  see  when  the  guns  begin  to  roar 
an'  the  sword-blades  flash.  Better  get  below  an' 
let  ane  o'  these  hairy  scoundrels  descend  into 
hell  in  your  place." 

Captain  Bonnet  turned  with  rage  upon  Ben 
Green  way,  but  the  latter,  having  spoken  his  mind 
and  given  his  advice,  had  retired. 

Now  came  Big  Sam.  "  'Tis  an  English 
brig,"  he  said,  "  most  likely  from  Jamaica, 
homeward  bound ;  she  should  be  a  good  prize. ' ' 

Bonnet  winced  a  little  at  this.  He  would 
have  preferred  to  begin  his  career  of  piracy  by 
capturing  some  foreign  vessel,  leaving  English 
prizes  for  the  future,  when  he  should  have  be- 
come better  used  to  his  new  employment.  But 
sensitiveness  does  not  do  for  pirates,  and  in  a 
moment  he  had  recovered  himself  and  was  as 
bold  and  bloody-minded  as  he  had  been  when  he 
first  saw  the  now  rapidly  approaching  vessel. 
All  nations  were  alike  to  him  now,  and  he  be- 
longed to  none. 

*  *  Fire  some  guns  at  her, ' '  he  shouted  to  Big 
Sam,  ' '  and  run  up  the  Jolly  Roger ;  let  the  ras- 
cals see  what  we  are. ' ' 

The  rascals  saw.    Down  came  their  flag,  and 

S3 


KATE   BOXXET 

presently  their  vessel  was  steered  into  the  wind 
and  lay  to. 

' '  Shall  we  board  her  ?  ' '  cried  Big  Sam. 

"  Ay,  board  her!  "  shouted  back  the  infuri- 
ated Bonnet.  "  Run  the  Revenge  alongside, 
get  out  your  grappling-irons,  and  let  every 
man  with  sword  and  pistols  bound  upon  her 
deck." 

The  merchantman  now  lay  without  headway, 
gently  rolling  on  the  sea.  Down  came  the  sails 
of  the  Revenge,  while  her  motion  grew  slower 
and  slower  as  she  approached  her  victim.  Had 
Captain  Bonnet  been  truly  sailing  the  Revenge, 
he  would  have  run  by  with  sails  all  set,  for  not 
a  thought  had  he  for  the  management  of  his 
own  vessel,  so  intent  he  was  upon  the  capture 
of  the  other.  But  fortunately  Big  Sam  knew 
what  was  necessary  to  be  done  in  a  nautical 
manoeuvre  of  this  kind,  and  his  men  did  not  all 
stand  ready  with  their  swords  in  their  hands  to 
bound  upon  the  deck  of  the  merchantman.  But 
there  were  enough  of  Pirate  Bonnet's  crew 
crowded  alongside  the  rail  of  the  vessel  to  in- 
spire terror  in  any  peaceable  merchantman. 
And  this  one,  although  it  had  several  carronades 
and  other  guns  upon  her  deck,  showed  no  dis- 
position to  use  them,  the  odds  against  her  being 
far  too  great. 

At  the  very  head  of  the  long  line  of  ruffians 
upon  the  deck  of  the  Revenge  stood  Ben  Green- 
way;  and,  although  he  held  no  sword  and  wore 

84 


BEN  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

no  pistol,  his  eyes  flashed  as  brightly  as  any 
glimmering  blade  in  the  whole  ship's  company. 

The  two  vessels  were  now  drawing  very  near 
to  each  other.  Men  with  grappling-irons  stood 
ready  to  throw  them,  and  the  bow  of  the  well- 
steered  pirate  had  almost  touched  the  side  of  the 
merchantman,  when,  with  a  bound,  of  which  no 
one  would  have  considered  him  capable,  the  good 
Ben  Greenway  jumped  upon  the  rail  and  sprang 
down  upon  the  deck  of  the  other  vessel.  This 
was  a  hazardous  feat,  and  if  the  Scotchman  had 
known  more  about  nautical  matters  he  would  not 
have  essayed  it  before  the  two  vessels  had  been 
fastened  together.  Ignorance  made  him  fearless, 
and  he  alighted  in  safety  on  the  deck  of  the  mer- 
chantman at  the  very  instant  when  the  two  ves- 
sels, having  touched,  separated  themselves  from 
each  other  for  the  space  of  a  yard  or  two. 

There  was  a  general  shout  from  the  deck  of 
the  pirate  at  this  performance  of  Ben  Greenway. 
Nobody  could  understand  it.  Captain  Bonnet 
stood  and  yelled. 

' '  What  are  you  about,  Ben  Greenway  ?  Have 
you  gone  mad?  Without  sword  or  pistol,  you'll 
be-" 

The  astonished  Bonnet  did  not  finish  his  sen- 
tence, for  his  power  of  speech  left  him  when  he 
saw  Ben  Greenway  hurry  up  to  the  captain  of 
the  merchantman,  who  was  standing  unarmed, 
with  his  crew  about  him,  and  warmly  shake  that 
dumfounded  skipper  by  the  hand.    In  their  sur- 

*85 


KATE    BOXXET 

prise  at  what  they  beheld  the  pirates  had  not 
thrown  their  grapnels  at  the  proper  moment,  and 
now  the  two  vessels  had  drifted  still  farther 
apart. 

Presently  Ben  Greenway  came  hurrying  to 
the  side  of  the  merchantman,  dragging  its  cap- 
tain by  the  hand. 

"  Master  Bonnet!  Master  Bonnet!  "  he 
cried;  u  this  is  your  old  friend,  Abner  Mar- 
chand,  o'  our  town;  an'  this  is  his  good  ship 
the  Amanda.  I  knew  her  when  I  first  caught 
sight  o'  her  figure-head,  havin'  seen  it  so  often 
at  her  pier  at  Bridgetown.  An'  so,  now  that 
ye  know  wha  it  is  that  ye  hae  inadvertently 
captured,  ye  may  ca'  off  your  men  an'  bid  them 
sheathe  their  frightful  cutlasses." 

At  this,  a  roar  arose  from  the  pirates,  who, 
having  thrown  some  of  their  grappling-irons 
over  the  gunwale  of  the  merchantman,  were  now 
pulling  hard  upon  them  to  bring  the  two  vessels 
together,  and  Captain  Bonnet  shouted  back  at 
Ben:  "  AVhat  are  you  talking  about,  you  drivel- 
ling idiot;  haven't  you  told  Mr.  Marchand  that 
I  am  a  pirate  ?  ' ' 

"  Indeed  I  hae  no',"  cried  Ben,  "  for  I 
don't  believe  ye  are  ane;  at  least,  no'  to  your 
friends  an'  neebours." 

To  this  Bonnet  made  a  violent  reply,  but  it 
was  not  heard.  The  two  vessels  had  now  touched 
and  the  crowd  of  yelling  pirates  had  leaped  upon 
the  deck  of  the  Amanda.     Bonnet  was  not  far 

86 


BEN  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

behind  his  men,  and,  sword  in  hand,  he  rushed 
towards  the  spot  where  stood  the  merchant  cap- 
tain with  his  crew  hustling  together  behind  him. 
As  there  was  no  resistance,  there  was  so  far  no 
fighting,  and  the  pirates  were  tumbling  over  each 
other  in  their  haste  to  get  below  and  find  out 
what  sort  of  a  cargo  was  carried  by  this  easy 
prize. 

Captain  Marchand  held  out  his  hand. 
"  Good-day  to  you,  friend  Bonnet,"  he  said. 
' '  I  had  hoped  that  you  would  be  one  of  the  first 
friends  I  should  meet  when  I  reached  port  at 
Bridgetown,  but  I  little  thought  to  meet  you  be- 
fore I  got  there. ' ' 

Bonnet  was  a  little  embarrassed  by  the  pe- 
culiarity of  the  situation,  but  his  heart  was  true 
to  his  new  career. 

"  Friend  Marchand,"  he  said,  "  I  see  that 
you  do  not  understand  the  state  of  affairs,  and 
Ben  Greenway  there  should  have  told  you  the 
moment  he  met  you.  I  am  no  longer  a  planter 
of  Barbadoes ;  I  am  a  pirate  of  the  sea,  and  the 
Jolly  Roger  floats  above  my  ship.  I  belong  to 
no  nation;  my  hand  is  against  all  the  world. 
You  and  your  ship  have  been  captured  by  me 
and  my  men,  and  your  cargo  is  my  prize.  Now, 
what  have  you  got  on  board,  where  do  you  hail 
from,  and  whither  are  you  bound?  " 

Captain  Marchand  looked  at  him  fixedly. 

"  I  sailed  from  London  with  a  cargo  of  do- 
mestic goods  for  Kingston;  thence,  having  dis- 

87 


KATE   BONNET 

posed  of  most  of  my  cargo,  I  am  on  my  way 
to  Bridgetown,  where  I  hope  to  sell  the  re- 
mainder. ' ' 

"  Your  goods  will  never  reach  Bridgetown," 
cried  Bonnet;  "  they  belong  now  to  my  men 
and  me." 

"  What!  "  cried  Ben  Greenway,  "  ye  speak 
wi'out  sense  or  reason.  Hae  ye  forgotten  that 
this  is  Mr.  Abner  Marchand,  your  fellow-vestry- 
man an'  your  senior  warden?  An'  to  him  do  ye 
talk  o'  takin'  awa'  his  goods  an'  legal  chattels !  ' ' 

Bonnet  looked  at  Greenway  with  indignation 
and  contempt. 

"  Now  listen  to  me,"  he  yelled.  "  To  the 
devil  with  the  vestry  and  da—"  the  Scotch- 
man's eyes  and  mouth  were  so  rounded  with  hor- 
ror that  Bonnet  stopped  and  changed  his  form 
of  expression—"  confound  the  senior  warden. 
I  am  the  pirate  Bonnet,  and  regard  not  the 
Church  of  England." 

Nor  your  friends?  "  interpolated  Ben. 
Nor  friends  nor  any  man,"  shouted  Bon- 
net. 

"  Abner  Marchand,  I  am  sorry  that  your  ves- 
sel should  be  the  first  one  to  fall  into  my  power, 
but  that  has  happened,  and  there  is  no  help  for 
it.  My  men  are  below  ransacking  your  hold  for 
the  goods  and  treasure  it  may  contain.  "When 
your  cargo,  or  what  we  want  of  it,  is  safe  upon 
my  ship,  I  shall  burn  your  vessel,  and  you  and 
your  men  must  walk  the  plank." 

88 


BEN  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

At  this  dreadful  statement,  Ben  Greenway 
staggered  backward  in  speechless  dismay. 

"  Yes,"  cried  Bonnet,  "  that  shall  I  do,  for 
there  is  naught  else  I  can  do.  And  then  you 
shall  see,  you  doubting  Greenway,  whether  I  am 
a  pirate  or  no." 

To  all  this  Captain  Marchand  said  not  a 
word.  But  at  this  moment  a  woman's  scream 
was  heard  from  below,  and  then  there  was  an- 
other scream  from  another  woman.  Captain 
Marchand  started. 

"  Your  men  have  wandered  into  my  cabin," 
he  exclaimed,  "  and  they  have  frightened  my 
passengers.  Shall  I  go  and  bring  them  up, 
Major  Bonnet?     They  will  be  better  here." 

"  Ay,  ay!  "  cried  the  pirate  captain,  sur- 
prised that  there  should  be  female  passengers 
on  board,  and  Marchand,  followed  by  Ben 
Greenway,  disappeared  below. 

"  Confound  women  passengers,"  said  Bon- 
net to  himself;  "  that  is  truly  a  bit  of  bad  luck." 

In  a  few  minutes  Marchand  was  back,  bring- 
ing with  him  a  middle-aged  and  somewhat  pudgy 
woman,  very  pale ;  a  younger  woman  of  exceed- 
ing plainness,  and  sobbing  steadfastly ;  and  also 
an  elderly  man,  evidently  an  invalid,  and  wear- 
ing a  long  dressing-gown. 

"  These,"    said    Captain    Marchand,    "  are 

Master  and  Madam  Ballinger  and  daughter,  of 

York  in  England,  who  have  been  sojourning  in 

Jamaica  for  the  health  of  the  gentleman,  but  are 

7  SO 


KATE   BONNET 

now  sailing  with  me  to  Barbadoes,  hoping  the 
air  of  our  good  island  may  be  more  salubrious 
for  the  lungs." 

Captain  Bonnet  had  never  been  in  the  habit 
of  speaking  loudly  before  ladies,  but  he  now  felt 
that  he  must  stand  by  his  character. 

1 '  You  cannot  have  heard, ' '  he  almost  shout- 
ed, "  that  I  am  the  pirate  Bonnet,  and  that  your 
vessel  is  now  my  prize." 

At  this  the  two  ladies  began  to  scream  vig- 
orously, and  the  form  of  the  gentleman  trembled 
to  such  a  degree  that  his  cane  beat  a  tattoo  upon 
the  deck. 

crYes,"  continued  Bonnet,  "  when  my  men 
have  stripped  this  ship  of  its  valuables  I  shall 
burn  her  to  the  water's  edge,  and,  having  re- 
moved you  to  my  vessel,  I  shall  shortly  make 
you  walk  the  plank." 

Here  the  younger  lady  began  to  stiffen  her- 
self out  as  if  she  were  about  to  faint  in  the  arms 
of  Captain  Marchand,  who  had  suddenly  seized 
her;  but  her  great  curiosity  to  hear  more  kept 
her  still  conscious.  Mrs.  Ballinger  grew  very 
red  in  the  face. 

1 ;  That  cannot  be, ' '  she  cried ;  ' '  you  may  do 
what  you  please  with  our  belongings  and  with 
Captain  Marchand  's  ship,  but  my  husband  is  too 
sick  a  man  to  walk  a  plank.  You  have  not  no- 
ticed, perchance,  that  his  legs  are  so  feeble  that 
he  could  scarce  mount  from  the  cabin  to  the  deck. 
It  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  walk  a  plank ; 

90 


BEX  CONVINCED  BOXXET  IS  A  PIRATE 

and  as  for  my  daughter  and  myself,  we  know 
nothing  about  such  a  thing,  and  could  not,  out 
of  sheer  ignorance. ' ' 

For  a  moment  a  shadow  of  perplexity  fell 
upon  Captain  Bonnet's  face.  He  could  readily 
perceive  that  the  infirm  Mr.  Ballinger  could  not 
walk  a  plank,  or  even  mount  one,  unless  some  one 
went  with  him  to  assist  him,  and  as  to  his  wife, 
she  was  evidently  a  termagant;  and,  having 
sailed  his  ship  and  floated  his  Jolly  Roger  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  one  termagant,  he  was  greatly 
annoyed  at  being  brought  thus,  face  to  face,  with 
another.  He  stood  for  a  moment  silent.  The  old 
gentleman  looked  as  if  he  would  like  to  go  down 
to  his  cabin  and  cover  up  his  head  with  his  blan- 
ket until  all  this  commotion  should  be  over;  the 
daughter  sobbed  as  she  gazed  about  her,  taking 
in  every  point  of  this  most  novel  situation ;  and 
the  mother,  with  dilated  nostrils,  still  glared. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  varying  disturbance 
Captain  Marchand  stood  quiet  and  unmoved, 
apparently  paying  no  attention  to  any  one  except 
his  old  neighbour  and  fellow-vestryman,  Stede 
Bonnet,  upon  whose  face  his  eyes  were  steadily 
fixed. 

Ben  Greenway  now  approached  the  pirate 
captain  and  led  him  aside. 

"  Let  your  men  make  awa'  wi'  the  cargo  as 
they  please— I  doubt  if  it  be  more  than  odds  an' 
ends,  for  such  are  the  goods  they  bring  to 
Bridgetown— an'  let  them  cast  off  an'  go  their 

91 


KATE    BONNET 

way,  an'  ye  an'  I  will  return  to  Bridgetown  in 
the  Amanda  an'  a'  may  yet  be  weel,  this  bit  o' 
folly  bein'  forgotten." 

It  might  have  been  supposed  that  Bonnet 
would  have  retaliated  upon  the  Scotchman  for 
thus  advising  him,  in  the  very  moment  of  tri- 
umph, to  give  up  his  piratical  career  and  to  go 
home  quietly  to  his  plantation,  but,  instead  of 
that,  he  paused  for  a  moment's  reflection. 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  said  he,  "  there  is  good 
sense  in  what  you  say.  In  truth,  I  cannot  bring 
myself  to  put  to  death  my  old  friend  and  neigh- 
bour and  his  helpless  passengers.  As  for  the 
ship,  it  will  do  me  no  more  good  burned  than 
unburned.  And  there  is  another  thing,  Ben 
Greenway,  which  I  would  fain  do,  and  it  just 
came  into  my  mind.  I  will  write  a  letter  to  my 
wife  and  one  to  my  daughter  Kate.  There  is 
much  which  I  wish  them  to  know  and  which  I 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  communicate.  I  will 
allow  the  Amanda  to  go  on  her  way  and  I 
will  send  these  two  letters  by  her  captain.  They 
shall  be  ready  presently,  and  you,  Ben,  stand 
by  these  people  and  see  that  no  harm  comes  to 
them. ' ' 

At  this  moment  there  were  loud  shouts  and 
laughter  from  below,  and  Captain  Marchand 
came  forward. 

"  Friend  Bonnet,"  he  said,  "  your  men  have 
discovered  my  store  of  spirits;  in  a  short  time 
they  will  be  drunk,  and  it  will  then  be  unsafe  for 

92 


BEX  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

these,  my  passengers.     Bid  them,  I  pray  you, 
to  convey  the  liquors  aboard  your  ship." 

"  Well  said!  "  cried  Bonnet.  "  I  would  not 
lose  those  spirits.''  And,  stepping  forward,  he 
spoke  to  Big  Sam,  who  had  just  appeared  on 
deck,  and  ordered  the  casks  to  be  conveyed  on 
board  the  Revenge. 

The  latter  laughed,  but  said:  "  Ay,  ay,  sir!  " 

Returning  to  Captain  Marchand,  Bonnet 
said :  "  I  will  now  step  on  board  my  ship  and 
write  some  letters,  which  I  shall  ask  you  to  take 
to  Bridgetown  with  you.  I  shall  be  ready  by  the 
time  the  rest  of  your  cargo  is  removed." 

"  Oh,  don't  do  that!  "  cried  Ben;  'k  there  is 
surely  pen  an'  paper  here,  close  to  your  hand. 
Go  down  to  Captain  Marchand's  cabin  an'  write 
your  letters." 

"  Xo,  no,"  cried  Bonnet,  'k  I  have  my  own 
conveniences."  And  with  that  he  leaped  on 
board  the  Revenge. 

"  That's  a  chance  gone,"  said  Ben  Green- 
way  to  Captain  Marchand,  "  a  good  chance  gone. 
If  we  could  hae  kept  him  on  board  here  an' 
down  in  your  cabin,  I  might  hae  passed  the 
word  to  that  big  miscreant,  the  sailing-master, 
to  cast  off  an'  get  awa'  wi'  that  wretched  crowd. 
The  scoundrels  will  be  glad  to  steal  the  ship,  an' 
it  will  be  the  salvation  o'  Master  Bonnet  if  they 
do  it." 

1 '  If  that 's  the  case, ' '  said  Captain  Marchand, 
"  why  should  we  resort  to  trickery?    If  his  men 

93 


KATE    BONNET 

want  his  ship  and  don't  want  him,  why  can't 
we  seize  him  when  he  comes  on  board  with  his 
letters,  and  then  let  his  men  know  that  they  are 
free  to  go  to  the  devil  in  any  way  they  please? 
Then  we  can  convey  Major  Bonnet  to  his  home, 
to  repentance,  perhaps,  and  a  better  life." 

"  That's  good,"  said  Ben,  "  but  no'  to  pun- 
ishment. Ye  an'  I  could  testify  that  his  head 
is  turned,  but  that,  when  kindness  to  a  neebour 
is  concerned,  his  heart  is  all  right." 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  could  swear 
to  that.  And  now  we  must  act  together.  When 
I  put  my  hand  on  him,  you  do  the  same,  and 
give  him  no  chance  to  use  his  sword  or  pistols. ' ' 

The  captain  of  the  pirates  sat  down  in  his 
well-furnished  little  room  to  write  his  letters, 
and  the  noise  and  confusion  on  deck,  the  swear- 
ing and  the  singing  and  the  shouting  to  be  heard 
everywhere,  did  not  seem  to  disturb  him  in  the 
least.  He  was  a  man  whose  mind  could  thor- 
oughly engage  itself  with  but  one  thing  at  "a 
time,  and  the  fact  that  his  men  were  at  work 
sacking  the  merchantman  did  not  in  the  least 
divert  his  thoughts  from  his  pen  and  paper. 

So  he  quietly  wrote  to  his  wife  that  he  had 
embraced  a  pirate's  life,  that  he  never  expected 
to  become  a  planter  again,  and  that  he  left  to 
her  the  enjoyment  and  management  of  his  estate 
in  Barbadoes.  He  hoped  that,  his  absence  hav- 
ing now  relieved  her  of  her  principal  reason  for 
discontent  with  her  lot,  she  would  become  happy 

94 


BEX  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

and  satisfied,  and  would  allow  those  about  her 
to  be  the  same.  He  expected  to  send  Ben  Green- 
way  back  to  her  to  help  take  care  of  her  affairs, 
but  if  she  should  need  further  advice  he  advised 
her  to  speak  to  Master  Xewcombe. 

The  letter  to  his  daughter  was  different;  it 
was  very  affectionate.  He  assured  her  of  his  sor- 
row at  not  being  able  to  take  her  with  him  and 
to  leave  her  at  Jamaica,  and  he  urged  her  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment  to  go  to  her  uncle  and 
to  remain  there  until  she  heard  from  him  or  saw 
him— the  latter  being  probable,  as  he  intended 
to  visit  Jamaica  as  soon  as  he  could,  even  in  dis- 
guise if  this  method  were  necessary.  He  alluded 
to  the  glorious  career  upon  which  he  was  enter- 
ing, and  in  which  he  expected  some  day  to  make 
a  great  name  for  himself,  of  which  he  hoped  she 
would  be  proud. 

YVhen  these  letters  were  finished  Bonnet  hur- 
ried to  the  side  of  the  vessel  and  looked  upon 
the  deck  of  the  Amanda. 

Captain  Marchand  and  Greenway  had  been 
waiting  in  anxious  expectation  for  the  return  of 
Bonnet,  and  wondering  how  in  the  world  a  man 
could  bring  his  mind  to  write  letters  at  such  a 
time  as  this. 

"  Take  these  letters,  Ben,"  he  said,  leaning 
over  the  rail,  "  and  give  them  to  Captain  Mar- 
chand. ' ' 

Ben  Greenway  at  first  declined  to  take  the 
letters  which  Bonnet  held  out  to  him,  but  the 

95 


KATE    BONNET 

latter  now  threw  thern  at  his  feet  on  the  deck, 
and,  running  forward,  he  soon  found  himself  in 
a  violent  and  disorderly  crowd,  who  did  not  seem 
to  regard  him  at  all;  booty  and  drink  were  all 
they  cared  for.  Presently  came  Big  Sam,  giving 
orders  and  thrusting  the  men  before  him.  He 
had  not  been  drinking,  and  was  in  full  possession 
of  his  crafty  senses. 

"  Throw  off  the  grapnels,"  exclaimed  Big 
Sam,  "  and  get  up  the  foresel!  "  And  then  he 
perceived  Bonnet.  With  a  scowl  upon  his  face 
Big  Sam  muttered :  "  I  thought  you  were  on  the 
merchantman,  but  no  matter.  Shove  her  off,  I 
say,  or  I  '11  break  your  heads. ' ' 

The  grapnels  were  loosened;  the  few  men 
who  were  on  duty  shoved  desperately;  the  fore- 
sail went  up,  and  the  two  vessels  began  to  sepa- 
rate. But  they  were  not  a  foot  apart  when,  with 
a  great  rush  and  scramble,  Ben  Greenway  left 
the  merchantman  and  tumbled  himself  on  board 
the  Revenge. 

Bonnet  rushed  up  to  him.  ' '  You  scoundrel ! 
You  rascal,  Ben  Greenway,  what  do  you  mean  \ 
I  intended  you  to  go  back  to  Bridgetown  on  that 
brig.    Can  I  never  get  rid  of  you?  " 

"  No'  till  ye  give  up  piratin', "  said  Ben  with 
a  grin.  ' '  Ye  may  split  open  my  head,  an '  throw 
overboard  my  corpse,  but  my  live  body  stays 
here  as  long  as  ye  do. ' ' 

With  a  savage  growl  Bonnet  turned  away 
from  his  faithful  adherent.    Things  were  getting 

96 


BEX  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

very  serious  now  and  he  could  waste  no  time  on 
personal  quarrels.  Great  holes  and  splits  had 
been  discovered  in  the  heads  of  the  barrels  of 
spirits,  and  the  precious  liquor  was  running  over 
the  decks.  This  was  the  work  of  the  sagacious 
Big  Sam,  who  had  the  strongest  desire  to  get 
away  from  the  Amanda  before  the  pirate  crew 
became  so  drunk  that  they  could  not  manage  the 
vessel.  He  was  a  deep  man,  that  Big  Sam,  and 
at  this  moment,  although  he  said  nothing  about 
it,  he  considered  himself  the  captain  of  the  pirate 
ship  which  he  sailed. 

For  a  time  Bonnet  hurried  about,  not  know- 
ing what  to  do.  Some  of  the  men  were  quarrel- 
ling about  the  boot}';  others  trying  to  catch  the 
rum  as  it  flowed  from  the  barrels ;  others  howl- 
ing out  of  pure  devilishness.  and  no  one  paying 
him  any  respect  whatever.  Big  Sam  was  giving 
orders ;  a  few  sober  men  were  obeying  him.  and 
Captain  Stede  Bonnet,  with  his  faithful  servant, 
Ben  Greenway,  seemed  to  be  entirely  out  of  place 
amid  this  horrible  tumult. 

' '  I  told  ye, ' ?  said  Ben.  ' '  ye  had  better  stayed 
on  board  that  merchantman  an'  gone  back  like 
a  Christian  to  your  ain  hame  an'  family.  It  will 
be  no  safe  place  for  ye,  or  for  me  neither,  when 
that  black-hearted  scoundrel  o'  a  Big  Sam  gets 
time  to  attend  to  ye. ' ' 

"  Black-hearted?  "  inquired  Bonnet,  but 
without  any  surprise  in  his  voice. 

"  Ay,"  said  Ben,  "  if  there's  onything  black- 

97 


KATE   BONNET 

er  than  his  heart,  only  Satan  hirasel'  ever  looked 
at  it.  It  was  to  be  sailin'  this  ship  on  his  own 
account  that  he 's  had  in  his  villainous  soul  ever 
since  he  came  on  board;  an'  I  can  tell  ye,  Master 
Bonnet,  that  it  won't  be  long  now  before  he's 
doin'  it.  I  had  me  eye  on  him  when  he  was  on 
board  the  Amanda,  an'  I  saw  that  the  scoundrel 
was  goin '  to  separate  the  ships. ' ' 

"  That  was  my  will,"  said  Bonnet,  "  al- 
though I  did  not  order  it." 

Ben  gave  a  little  grunt.  "  Ay,"  said  he, 
"  hopin'  to  leave  me  behind  just  as  he  was  hop- 
in'  to  leave  ye  behind.  But  neither  o'  ye  got 
your  wills,  an'  it'll  be  the  de'il  that'll  have  a 
hand  in  the  next  leavin'  behind  that's  likely  to 
be  done. ' ' 

Bonnet  made  no  reply  to  these  remarks,  hav- 
ing suddenly  spied  Black  Paul. 

"  Look  here,"  said  he,  stepping  up  to  that 
sombre-hued  personage, ' '  can  you  sail  a  ship  %  ' ' 

The  other  looked  at  Bonnet  in  astonishment. 
"  I  should  say  so,"  said  he.  "I  have  com- 
manded vessels  before  now. ' ' 

"  Here  then,"  said  Bonnet,  "  I  want  a  sail- 
ing-master. I  am  not  satisfied  with  this  Big 
Sam.  I  am  no  navigator  myself,  but  I  want  a 
better  man  than  that  fellow  to  sail  my  ship 
for  me." 

Black  Paul  looked  hard  at  him  but  made  no 
answer. 

"  He  thinks  he  is  sailing  the  ship  for  him- 

98 


BEN  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  PIRATE 

self,"  said  Bonnet,  "  and  it  would  be  a  bad  day 
for  you  men  if  he  did. ' ' 

"  That  indeed  would  it,"  said  Black  Paul; 
"  a   close-fisted   scoundrel,   as  I  know  him   to 

be." 

"  Quick  then,"  said  Bonnet;  "  now  you're 
my  sailing-master;  and  after  this,  when  we  di- 
vide the  prizes,  you  take  the  same  share  that 
I  do.  As  to  these  goods  from  the  Amanda,  1 
will  have  no  part  at  all ;  I  give  them  all  to  you 
and  the  rest,  divided  according  to  rule. 

' '  Go  you  now  among  the  men,  and  speak  first 
to  such  as  have  taken  the  least  liquor ;  let  them 
know  that  it  was  Big  Sam  that  broke  in  the  hogs- 
heads, which,  but  for  that,  would  have  been  sold 
and  divided.  Go  quickly  and  get  about  you  a 
half-dozen  good  fellows." 

"  Ye 're  gettin'  wickeder  and  wickeder,"  said 
Ben  when  Black  Paul  had  hurried  away ;  "  the 
de'il  himseP  couldna  hae  taught  ye  a  craftier 
trick  than  that.  AVeel  ye  kenned  that  that  black 
fellow  would  fain  serve  under  a  free-handed  fool 
than  a  stingy  knave.  Ay,  sir,  your  education's 
progressin'!  " 

At  this  moment  Big  Sam  came  hurrying  by. 
Not  wishing  to  excite  suspicion,  Bonnet  addressed 
him  a  question,  but  instead  of  answering  the 
burly  pirate  swore  at  him.  "  I'll  attend  to  your 
business,"  said  he,  "  as  soon  as  I  have  my  sails 
set;  then  I'll  give  you  two  leather-headed  lands- 
men all  the  hoisting  and  lowering  you'll  ever 

99 


KATE    BONNET 

ask  for. ' '    Then  with  another  explosion  of  oaths 
he  passed  on. 

Bonnet  and  Ben  stood  waiting  with  much  im- 
patience and  anxiety,  but  presently  came  Black 
Paul  with  a  party  of  brawny  pirates  following 
him. 

"  Come  now,"  said  Bonnet,  walking  boldly 
aft  towards  Big  Sam,  who  was  still  cursing  and 
swearing  right  and  left.  Bonnet  stepped  up  to 
him  and  touched  him  on  the  arm.  ' '  Look  ye, ' ' 
said  he,  "  you're  no  longer  sailing-master  on  this 
ship;  I  don't  like  your  ways  or  your  fashions. 
Step  forward,  then,  and  go  to  the  f o  'castle  where 
you  belong;  this  good  mariner,"  pointing  to 
Black  Paul,  "  will  take  your  place  and  sail  the 
Revenge." 

Big  Sam  turned  and  stood  astounded,  star- 
ing at  Bonnet.  He  spoke  no  word,  but  his  face 
grew  dark  and  his  great  eyebrows  were  drawn 
together.  His  mouth  was  half  open,  as  if  he 
were  about  to  yell  or  swear.  Then  suddenly  his 
right  hand  fell  upon  the  hilt  of  his  cutlass,  and 
the  great  blade  flashed  in  the  air.  He  gave  one 
bound  towards  Bonnet,  and  in  the  same  second 
the  cutlass  came  down  like  a  stroke  of  lightning. 
But  Bonnet  had  been  a  soldier  and  had  learned 
how  to  use  his  sword ;  the  cutlass  was  caught  on 
his  quick  blade  and  turned  aside.  At  this  mo- 
ment Black  Paul  sprung  at  Big  Sam  and  seized 
him  by  the  sword  arm,  while  another  fellow,  tak- 
ing his  cue,  grabbed  him  by  the  shoulder. 

100 


BEN  CONVINCED  BONNET  IS  A  FIEATE 

"  Now  some  of  you  fellows,"  shouted  Bon- 
net, ' '  seize  him  by  the  legs  and  heave  him  over- 
board! " 

This  order  was  obeyed  almost  as  soon  as  it 
was  given;  four  burly  pirates  rushed  Big  Sam 
to  the  bulwarks,  and  with  a  great  heave  sent  him 
headforemost  over  the  rail.  In  the  next  instant 
he  had  disappeared— gone,  passed  out  of  human 
sight  or  knowledge. 

"  Now  then,  Mr.  Paul— not  knowing  your 
other  name " 

"  Which  it  is  Bittern,"  said  the  other. 

"  You  are  now  sailing-master  of  this  ship; 
and  when  things  are  straightened  out  a  bit  you 
can  come  below  and  sign  articles  with  me. ' ' 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  Black  Paul,  and  calling 
to  the  men  he  gave  orders  that  they  go  on  with 
the  setting  of  the  main-topsail. 

"  Now,  truly,"  said  Ben,  "  I  believe  that 
ye 're  a  pirate." 

Bonnet  looked  at  him  much  pleased.  i '  I  told 
you  so,  my  good  Ben.  I  knew  that  the  time  would 
come  when  you  would  acknowledge  that  I  am  a 
true  pirate;  after  this,  you  cannot  doubt  it  any 
more. ' ' 

"  Never  again,  Master  Bonnet,"  said  Ben 
Greenway,  gravely  shaking  his  head,  "  never 
again!  " 

The  brig  Amanda,  with  full  sails  and  an 
empty  hold,  bent  her   course  eastward   to   the 

101 


KATE.  BONNET 

island  of  Barbadoes,  and  the  next  morning,  when 
the  drunken  sailors  on  board  the  Revenge  were 
able  to  look  about  them  and  consider  things, 
they  found  their  vessel  speeding  towards  the 
coast  of  Cuba,  and  sailed  by  Black  Paul  Bit- 
tern. 


102 


CHAPTER   IX 


DICKORY    SETS   FORTH 


R.    FELIX    DELAPLAINE, 

mercliant  and  planter  of  Span- 
ish Town,  the  capital  of  Ja- 
maica, occupied  a  commodious  house  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  the  town,  twelve  miles  up  the  river  from 
Kingston,  the  seaport,  which  establishment  was 
somewhat  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  there 
were  no  women  in  the  family.  Madam  Dela- 
plaine  had  been  dead  for  several  years,  and  as 
her  husband's  fortune  had  steadily  thriven,  he 
now  found  himself  possessor  of  a  home  in  which 
he  could  be  as  independent  and  as  comfortable 
as  if  he  had  been  the  president  and  sole  mem- 
ber of  a  club. 

Being  of  a  genial  disposition  and  disposed 
to  look  most  favourably  upon  his  possessions 
and  surrounding  conditions,  Mr.  Delaplaine  had 
come  to  be  of  the  opinion  that  his  lot  in  life  was 
one  in  which  improvement  was  not  to  be  expected 
and  scarcely  to  be  desired.  He  had  been  per- 
fectly happy  with  his  wife,  and  had  no  desire 

103 


KATE    BONNET 

to  marry  another,  who  could  not  possibly  equal 
her;  and,  having  no  children,  he  continually 
thanked  his  happy  stars  that  he  was  free  from 
the  troubles  and  anxieties  which  were  so  often 
brought  upon  fathers  by  their  sons  and  their 
daughters. 

Into  this  quiet  and  self-satisfied  life  came, 
one  morning,  a  great  surprise  in  the  shape  of  a 
beautiful  young  woman,  who  entered  his  office 
in  Spanish  Town,  and  who  stated  to  him  that 
she  was  the  daughter  of  his  only  sister,  and  that 
she  had  come  to  live  with  him.  There  was  an 
elderly  dame  and  a  young  man  in  company  with 
the  beautiful  visitor,  but  Mr.  Delaplaine  took  no 
note  of  them.  With  his  niece's  hands  in  his  own, 
gazing  into  the  face  so  like  that  young  face  in 
whose  company  he  had  grown  from  childhood 
to  manhood,  Mr.  Delaplaine  saw  in  a  flash,  that 
since  the  death  of  his  wife  until  that  moment 
he  had  never  had  the  least  reason  to  be  content 
with  the  world  or  to  be  satisfied  with  his  lot.  This 
was  his  sister's  child  come  to  live  with  him! 

AVhen  Mr.  Delaplaine  sufficiently  recovered 
his  ordinary  good  sense  to  understand  that  there 
were  other  things  in  this  world  besides  the  lovely 
niece  who  had  so  suddenly  appeared  before  him, 
he  remembered  that  she  had  a  father,  and  many 
questions  were  asked  and  answered ;  and  he  was 
told  who  Dame  Charter  was,  and  why  her  son 
came  with  her.  Then  the  uncle  and  the  niece 
walked  into  the   garden,   and   there   talked   of 

104 


DICKORY   SETS   FORTH 

Major  Bonnet.  Little  did  Kate  know  upon  this 
subject,  and  nothing  could  her  uncle  tell  her; 
but  in  many  and  tender  words  she  was  assured 
that  this  was  her  home  as  long  as  she  chose  to 
live  in  it,  and  that  it  was  the  most  fortunate 
thing  in  the  world  that  Dame  Charter  had  come 
with  her  and  could  stay  with  her.  Had  this  not 
been  so,  where  could  he  have  found  such  a  guard- 
ian angel,  such  a  chaperon,  for  this  tender 
niece!  As  for  the  young  man,  it  was  such  rare 
good  luck  that  he  had  been  able  to  accompany 
the  two  ladies  and  give  them  his  protection.  He 
was  just  the  person,  Mr.  Delaplaine  believed, 
who  would  be  invaluable  to  him  either  on  the 
plantation  or  in  his  counting-house.  In  any 
case,  here  was  their  home;  and  here,  too,  was 
the  home  of  his  brother-in-law,  Bonnet,  when- 
ever he  chose  to  give  up  his  strange  fancy  for 
the  sea.  It  was  not  now  to  be  thought  of  that 
Kate  or  her  father,  or  either  one  of  them,  should 
go  back  to  Barbadoes  to  live  with  the  impossible 
Madam  Bonnet. 

If  her  father's  vessel  were  in  the  harbour  and 
he  were  here  with  them,  or  even  if  she  had  had 
good  tidings  from  him,  Kate  Bonnet  would  have 
been  a  very  happy  girl,  for  her  present  abode 
was  vastly  different  from  any  home  she  had  ever 
known.  Her  uncle's  house  on  the  highlands  be- 
yond the  town  lay  in  a  region  of  cooler  breezes 
and  more  bracing  air  than  that  of  Barbadoes. 
Books  and  music  and  the  general  air  of  refine- 
8  105 


KATE   BONNET 

ment  recalled  her  early  life  with  her  mother,  and 
with  the  exception  of  the  anxiety  about  her 
father,  there  were  no  clouds  in  the  bright  blue 
skies  of  Kate  Bonnet.  But  this  anxiety  was  a 
cloud,  and  it  was  spreading. 

When  the  Amanda  moved  away  from  the  side 
of  the  pirate  vessel  Revenge  she  hoisted  all  sail, 
and  got  away  over  the  sea  as  fast  as  the  pre- 
vailing wind  could  take  her.  When  she  passed 
the  bar  below  Bridgetown  and  came  to  anchor, 
Captain  Marchand  immediately  lowered  a  boat 
and  was  rowed  up  the  river  to  the  recent  resi- 
dence of  Major  Stede  Bonnet,  and  there  he  de- 
livered two  letters— one  to  the  wife  of  that  gen- 
tleman, and  the  other  for  his  daughter.  Then 
the  captain  rowed  back  and  went  into  the  town, 
where  he  annoyed  and  nearly  distracted  the  citi- 
zens by  giving  them  the  most  cautious  and  ex- 
purgated account  of  the  considerate  and  friendly 
manner  in  which  the  Amanda  had  been  relieved 
of  her  cargo  by  his  old  friend  and  fellow-vestry- 
man, Major  Bonnet. 

Captain  Marchand  had  been  greatly  im- 
pressed by  the  many  things  which  Ben  Green- 
way  had  said  about  his  master's  present  most 
astounding  freak,  and  hoping  in  his  heart  that 
repentance  and  a  suitable  reparation  might  soon 
give  this  hitherto  estimable  man  an  opportunity 
to  return  to  his  former  place  in  society,  he  said 
as  little  as  he  could  against  the  name  and  fame 

106 


DICKORY    SETS    FORTH 

of  this  once  respected  fellow-citizen.  When  he 
communicated  with  the  English  owners  of  his 
now  departed  cargo,  he  would  know  what  to  say 
to  them,  but  here,  safe  in  harbour  with  his  ves- 
sel and  his  passengers,  he  preferred  to  wait  for 
a  time  before  entirely  blackening  the  character 
of  the  man  who  had  allowed  him  to  come  here. 
Like  the  faithful  Ben  Greenway,  he  did  not  yet 
believe  in  Stede  Bonnet's  piracy. 

Madam  Bonnet  read  her  letter  and  did  not 
like  it.  In  fact,  she  thought  it  shameful.  Then 
she  opened  and  read  the  letter  to  her  step- 
daughter. This  she  did  not  like  either,  and  she 
put  it  away  in  a  drawer ;  she  would  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  transmission  of  such  an  epistle 
as  this.  Most  abominable  when  contrasted  with 
the  scurrilous  screed  he  had  written  to  her. 

Day  after  day  passed  on,  and  Kate  Bonnet 
arose  each  morning  feeling  less  happy  than  on 
the  day  before.  But  at  last  a  letter  came,  brought 
by  a  French  vessel  which  had  touched  at  Bar- 
badoes.  This  letter  was  to  Kate  from  Martin 
Xewcombe.  It  was  a  love-letter,  a  very  earnest, 
ardent  love-letter,  but  it  did  not  make  the  young 
girl  happy,  for  it  told  her  very  little  about  her 
father.  The  heart  of  the  lover  was  so  tender 
that  he  would  say  nothing  to  his  lady  which 
might  give  her  needless  pain.  He  had  heard 
what  Captain  Marchand  had  told  and  he  had  not 
understood  it,  and  could  only  half  believe  it. 

107 


KATE   BONNET 

Kate  must  know  far  more  about  all  this  painful 
business  than  he  did,  for  her  father's  letter  would 
tell  her  all  he  wished  her  to  know.  Therefore, 
why  should  he  discuss  that  most  distressing  and 
perplexing  subject,  which  he  knew  so  little  about 
and  which  she  knew  all  about.  So  he  merely 
touched  upon  Major  Bonnet  and  his  vessel,  and 
hoped  that  she  might  soon  write  to  him  and  tell 
him  what  she  cared  for  him  to  know,  what  she 
cared  for  him  to  tell  to  the  people  of  Bridge- 
town, and  what  she  wished  to  repose  confiden- 
tially to  his  honour.  But  whatever  she  chose  to 
say  to  him  or  not  to  say  to  him,  he  would  have 
her  remember  that  his  heart  belonged  to  her, 
and  ever  would  belong,  no  matter  what  might 
happen  or  what  might  be  said  for  good  or  for 
bad,  on  the  sea  or  the  land,  by  friends  or  ene- 
mies. 

This  was  a  rarely  good  love-letter,  but  it 
plunged  Kate  into  the  deepest  woe,  and  Dickory 
saw  this  first  of  all.  He  had  brought  the  letter, 
and  for  the  second  time  he  saw  tears  in  her 
eyes.  The  absence  of  news  of  Major  Bonnet 
was  soon  known  to  the  rest  of  the  family,  and 
then  there  were  other  tears.  It  was  perfectly 
plain,  even  to  Dame  Charter,  that  things  had 
been  said  in  Bridgetown  which  Mr.  Newcombe 
had  not  cared  to  write. 

' '  No,  Dame  Charter, ' '  said  Kate,  ' '  I  cannot 
talk  to  you  about  it.  My  uncle  has  already  spoken 
words  of  comfort,  but  neither  you  nor  he  know 

108 


DICKOKY    SETS    FOKTH 

more  than  I  do,  and  I  must  now  think  a  little 
for  myself,  if  I  can." 

So  saying,  she  walked  out  into  the  grounds 
to  a  spot  at  a  little  distance  where  Dickory 
stood,  reflectively  gazing  out  over  the  landscape. 

' '  Dickory, ' '  said  the  girl,  ' '  my  mind  is  filled 
with  horrible  doubts.  I  have  heard  of  the  talk 
in  Bridgetown  before  we  left,  and  now  here  is 
this  letter  from  Mr.  Xewcombe  from  which  I 
cannot  fail  to  see  that  there  must  have  been  other 
talk  that  he  considerately  refrains  from  telling 
me." 

"  He  should  not  have  written  such  a  letter, " 
exclaimed  Dickory  hotly ; '  i  he  might  have  known 
it  would  have  set  you  to  suspecting  things. ' ' 

"  You  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about,  you  foolish  boy, ' '  said  she ;  *  *  it  is  a  very 
proper  letter  about  things  you  don't  under- 
stand. ' ' 

She  stepped  a  little  closer  to  him  as  if  she 
feared  some  one  might  hear  her.  "  Dickory," 
said  she,  "  he  did  not  put  that  thing  into  my 
mind ;  it  was  there  already.  That  was  a  dreadful 
ship,  Dickory,  and  it  was  filled  with  dreadful 
men.  If  he  had  not  intended  to  go  with  them 
he  would  not  have  put  himself  into  their  power, 
and  if  he  had  not  intended  to  be  long  away  he 
would  not  have  planned  to  leave  me  here  with 
my  uncle." 

' '  You  ought  not  to  think  such  a  thing  as  that 
for  one  minute,"  cried  Dickory.    "  I  would  not 

109 


KATE    BONNET 

think  so  about  my  mother,  no  matter  what  hap- 
pened !  ' ' 

She  smiled  slightly  as  she  answered.  "  I 
would  my  father  were  a  mother,  and  then  I  need 
not  think  such  things.  But,  Dickory,  if  he  had 
but  written  to  me !  And  in  all  this  time  he  might 
have  written,  knowing  how  I  must  feel." 

Dickory  stood  silent,  his  bosom  heaving. 
Suddenly  he  turned  sharply  towards  her.  "  Of 
course  he  has  written, ' '  said  he,  ' '  but  how  could 
his  letter  come  to  you  ?  "We  know  not  where  he 
has  sailed,  and  besides,  who  could  have  told  him 
you  had  already  gone  to  your  uncle?  But  the 
people  at  Bridgetown  must  know  things.  I  be- 
lieve that  he  has  written  there. " 

"  Why  do  you  believe  that?  "  she  asked 
eagerly,  with  one  hand  on  his  arm. 

"  I  think  it,"  said  Dickory,  his  cheeks  a  little 
ruddier  in  their  brownness,  "  because  there  is 
more  known  there  than  Master  Newcombe  chose 
to  put  into  his  letter.  If  he  has  not  written, 
how  should  they  know  more?  " 

She  now  looked  straight  into  his  eyes,  and  as 
he  returned  the  gaze  he  could  see  in  her  pupils 
his  head  and  his  straw  hat,  with  the  clear  sky  be- 
yond. 

"  Dickory,"  she  said,  "  if  he  wrote  to  any- 
body he  also  wrote  to  me,  and  that  letter  is  still 
there. ' ' 

"  That  is  what  I  believe,"  said  he,  "  and  I 
have  been  believing  it. ' ' 

110 


DICKORY    SETS    FORTH 

■l  Then  why  didn't  you  say  so  to  me,  you 
wretched  boy?  "  cried  Kate.  "  You  ought  to 
have  known  how  that  would  have  comforted  me. 
If  I  could  only  think  he  has  surely  written,  my 
heart  would  bound,  no  matter  what  his  letter 
told;  but  to  be  utterly  dropped,  that  I  cannot 
bear. ' ' 

' i  You  have  not  been  dropped, ' '  he  exclaimed, 
' '  and  you  shall  know  it.    Kate,  I  am  going " 

"  Nay,  nay,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  must  not 
call  me  that !  ' ' 

"  But  you  call  me  Dickory,"  he  said. 

"  True,  but  you  are  so  much  younger." 

' '  Younger !  "he  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  con- 
tempt, not  for  the  speaker  but  for  the  word  she 
had  spoken.    ' '  Eleven  months !  ' ' 

She  laughed  a  little  laugh ;  her  nature  was  so 
full  of  it  that  even  now  she  could  not  keep  it  back. 

"  You  must  have  been  making  careful  com- 
putation," she  said,  "  but  it  does  not  matter; 
you  must  not  call  me  Kate,  and  I  shall  keep  on 
calling  you  Dickory;  I  could  not  help  it.  Now, 
where  is  it  you  were  about  to  say  you  were 
going?  " 

' '  If  you  think  me  old  enough, ' '  said  he,  "  I 
am  going  to  Barbadoes  in  the  King  and  Queen. 
She  sails  to-morrow.  I  shall  find  out  about 
everything,  and  I  shall  get  your  letter,  then  I 
shall  come  back  and  bring  it  to  you." 

"  Dickory!  "  she  exclaimed,  and  her  eyes 
glowed. 

Ill 


KATE   BONNET 

There  was  silence  for  some  moments,  and 
then  he  spoke,  for  it  was  necessary  for  him  to 
say  something,  although  he  would  have  been  per- 
fectly content  to  stand  there  sjDeechless,  so  long 
as  her  eyes  still  glowed. 

"  If  I  don't  go,"  said  he,  "  it  may  be  long 
before  you  hear  from  him;  having  written,  he 
will  wait  for  an  answer.' ' 

She  thought  of  no  difficulties,  no  delays,  no 
dangers.  "  How  happy  you  have  made  me, 
Dickory !  ' '  she  said.  ' '  It  is  this  dreadful  igno- 
rance, these  fearful  doubts  of  which  I  ought  to 
be  ashamed.  But  if  I  get  his  letter,  if  I  know 
he  has  not  deserted  me!  " 

"  You  shall  get  it,"  he  cried,  "  and  you  shall 
know. ' ' 

"  Dickory,"  said  she,  "  you  said  that  exactly 
as  you  spoke  when  you  told  me  that  if  I  let  my- 
self drop  into  the  darknes  ,  you  would  be  there." 

'  *  And  you  shall  find  me  there  now, ' '  said  he ; 
"  always,  if  you  need  me,  you  shall  find  me 
there!  " 

Dame  Charter  had  been  standing  and  watch- 
ing this  interview,  her  foolish  motherly  heart 
filled  with  the  brightest,  most  unreasonable 
dreams.  And  why  should  she  not  dream,  even 
if  she  knew  her  dreams  would  never  come  true? 
In  a  few  short  weeks  that  Dickory  boy  had  grown 
to  be  a  man,  and  what  should  not  be  dreamed 
about  a  man! 

As  Kate  ran  by  the  open  door  towards  her 

112 


DICKORY    SETS    FORTH 

uncle's  apartments,  Dame  Charter  rose  up,  sur- 
prised. 

"  What  have  you  been  saying  to  her,  Dick- 
ory  ?  ' '  she  exclaimed.  ' '  Do  you  know  something 
we  have  not  heard?  Have  you  been  giving  her 
news  of  her  father  ?  ' ' 

"  No,"  said  the  son,  who  had  so  lately  been 
a  boy,  "  I  have  no  news  to  give  her,  but  I  am 
going  to  get  news  for  her." 

She  looked  at  him  in  amazement;  then  she 
exclaimed:  "  You!  " 

1 '  Yes, ' '  he  said,  ' '  there  is  no  one  else.  And 
besides  I  would  not  want  any  one  else  to  do  it. 
I  am  going  to  Bridgetown  in  the  brig  which 
brought  us  here;  it  is  a  little  sail,  and  when  I 
get  there  I  will  find  out  everything.  Xo  matter 
what  has  happened,  it  will  break  her  heart  to 
think  that  her  father  deserted  her  without  a 
word.  I  don't  believe  he  did  it,  and  I  shall  go 
and  find  out." 

"  But,  Dickory,"  she  said,  with  anxious,  up- 
raised face,  "  how  can  you  get  back?  Do  you 
know  of  any  vessel  that  will  be  sailing  this 
way?  " 

He  laughed. 

"  Get  back?  If  I  go  alone,  dear  mother,  you 
may  be  sure  T  shall  soon  get  back.  Craft  of  all 
kinds  sail  one  way  or  another,  and  there  are  many 
ways  in  which  I  can  get  back  not  thought  of  in 
ordinary  passage.  "When  any  kind  of  a  vessel 
sails  from  Jamaica,  I  can  get  on  board  of  her, 

113 


KATE   BONNET 

whether  she  takes  passengers  or  not.  I  can  sleep 
on  a  bale  of  goods  or  on  the  bare  deck;  I  can 
work  with  the  crew,  if  need  be.  Oh!  you  need 
not  doubt  that  I  shall  speedily  come  back." 

They  talked  long  together,  this  mother  and 
this  son,  and  it  was  her  golden  dreams  for  him 
that  made  her  invoke  Heaven's  blessings  upon 
him  and  tell  him  to  go.  She  knew,  too,  that  it 
was  wise  for  her  to  tell  him  to  go  and  to  bless 
him,  for  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  with- 
stand him,  so  set  was  he  in  his  purpose. 

"  I  tell  you,  Dame  Charter,"  said  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine  an  hour  later,  "  this  son  of  yours  should 
be  a  great  credit  and  pride  to  you,  and  he  will 
be,  I  stake  my  word  upon  it. ' ' 

' '  He  is  now, ' '  said  the  good  woman  quietly. 

"  I  have  been  pondering  in  my  brain,"  said 
he,  "  what  I  should  do  to  relieve  my  niece  of 
this  burden  of  anxiety  which  is  weighing  upon 
her.  I  could  see  no  way,  for  letters  would  be  of 
no  use,  not  knowing  where  to  send  them,  and  it 
would  be  dreary,  indeed,  to  sit  and  wait  and  sigh 
and  dream  bad  dreams  until  chance  throws  some 
light  upon  this  grievous  business,  and  here  steps 
up  this  young  fellow  and  settles  the  whole  mat- 
ter. When  he  comes  back,  Dame  Charter,  I  shall 
do  well  for  him ;  I  shall  put  him  in  my  counting- 
house,  for,  although  doubtless  he  would  fain  live 
his  young  life  in  the  fields  and  under  the  open 
sky,  he  will  find  the  counting-house  lies  on  the 
road  to  fortune,  and  good  fortune  he  deserves." 

114 


DICKORY    SETS    FORTH 

If  that  loving  mother  could  have  composed 
this  speech  for  Master  Delaplaine  to  make  she 
could  not  have  suited  it  better  to  her  desires. 

When  the  King  and  Queen  was  nearly  ready 
to  sail,  Dickory  Charter,  having  been  detained 
by  Mr.  Delaplaine,  who  wished  the  young  man 
to  travel  as  one  of  importance  and  plentiful  re- 
sources, hurried  to  the  house  to  take  his  final  in- 
structions from  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet,  in  whose 
service  he  was  now  setting  forth.  It  might  have 
been  supposed  by  some  that  no  further  instruc- 
tions were  necessary,  but  how  could  Dickory 
know  that  ?  He  was  right.  Kate  met  him  before 
he  reached  the  house. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you  again  before  you 
sail,"  she  said.  "  One  thing  was  forgotten: 
You  may  see  my  father ;  his  cruise  may  be  over 
and  he  may  be,  even  now,  preparing  for  me  to 
come  back  to  Bridgetown.  If  this  be  so,  urge 
him  rather  to  come  here.  I  had  not  thought  of 
your  seeing  him.  Dickory,  and  I  did  not  write 
to  him.  but  you  will  know  what  to  say.  You 
have  heard  that  woman  talk  of  me,  and  you  well 
know  I  cannot  go  back  to  my  old  home. ' ' 

"  Oh,  I  will  say  all  that!  "  he  exclaimed. 
' '  It  will  be  the  same  thing  as  if  you  had  written 
him  a  long  letter.  And  now  I  must  run  back, 
for  the  boat  is  i-eady  to  take  me  down  the  river 
to  the  port." 

"  Dickory,"  said  she.  and  she  put  out  her 
hand— he  had  never  held  that  hand  before— 

115 


KATE   BOXXET 

"  you  are  so  true,  Dickory,  you  are  so  noble; 
you  are  going—  ' '  it  was  in  her  mind  to  say  ' '  you 
are  going  as  rny  knight-errant, ' '  but  she  deemed 
that  unsuitable,  and  she  changed  it  to— "  you  are 
going  to  do  so  much  for  me." 

She  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  then  she  said : 
"  You  know  I  told  you  you  should  not  call  me 
Kate,  being  so  much  younger;  but,  as  you  are 
so  much  younger,  you  may  kiss  me  if  you  like. ' ' 

"  Like!  " 


116 


CHAPTER   X 


CAPTAIN    CHRISTOPHER   VINCE 


T  was  truly  surprising  to  see 
the  change  which  came  over 
the  spirits  of  our  young  Kate 
Bonnet  when  she  heard  that  the  King  and  Queen 
had  sailed  from  Kingston  port.  She  was  gay, 
she  was  talkative,  she  sang  songs,  she  skipped 
in  the  paths  of  the  garden.  One  might  have 
supposed  she  was  so  happy  to  get  rid  of  the 
young  man  on  the  brig  which  had  sailed  away. 
And  yet,  the  news  she  might  hear  when  that 
young  man  came  back  was  likely  to  be  far 
worse  than  any  misgivings  which  had  entered 
her  mind.  Kate's  high  spirits  delighted  her 
uncle.  This  child  of  his  sister  had  grown  more 
lovely  than  even  her  mother  had  ever  been. 

Now  came  days  of  delight  which  Kate  had 
never  dreamed  of.  She  had  not  known  that  there 
were  such  shops  in  Spanish  Town,  which,  al- 
though a  youngish  town,  had  already  drawn  to 
itself  the  fashion  and  the  needs  of  fashion  of  that 
prosperous  colony.     With  Dame  Charter,  and 

117 


KATE   BONNET 

often  also  with  her  uncle  in  company,  this  bright 
young  girl  hovered  over  fair  fabrics  which  were 
spread  before  her;  circled  about  jewels,  gems, 
and  feathers,  and  revelled  in  tender  colours  as 
would  a  butterfly  among  the  blossoms,  dipping 
and  tasting  as  she  flew. 

There  were  some  fine  folk  in  Spanish  Town, 
and  with  this  pleasant  society  of  the  capital  Mr. 
Delaplaine  renewed  his  previous  intercourse  and 
Kate  soon  learned  the  pleasures  of  a  colonial 
social  circle,  whose  attractions,  brought  from 
afar,  had  been  warmed  into  a  more  cheerful  glow 
in  this  bright  West  Indian  atmosphere. 

To  add  to  the  brilliancy  of  the  new  life  into 
which  Kate  now  entered,  there  came  into  the 
port  an  English  corvette— the  Badger— for  re- 
fitting. From  this  welcome  man-of-war  there 
flitted  up  the  river  to  Spanish  Town  gallant  offi- 
cers, young  and  older:  and  in  their  flitting  they 
flitted  into  the  drawing-room  of  the  rich  mer- 
chant Delaplaine.  and  there  were  some  of  them 
who  soon  found  that  there  were  no  drawing- 
rooms  in  all  the  town  where  they  could  talk 
with,  walk  with,  and  perchance  dance  with  such 
a  fine  girl  as  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet. 

Kate  greatly  fancied  gallant  partners,  wheth- 
er for  walking  or  talking  or  dancing,  and  among 
such,  those  which  came  from  the  corvette  in  the 
harbour  pleased  her  most. 

Those  were  not  bright  days  for  Dame  Char- 
ter.   Do  what  she  would,  her  optimism  was  grow- 

118 


CAPTAIN   CHRISTOPHER   VINCE 

ing  dim,  and  what  helped  to  dim  it  was  Kate's 
gaiety.  It  did  not  comfort  her  at  all  when  Kate 
told  her  that  she  was  so  light-hearted  because  she 
knew  that  Dickory  would  bring  her  good  news. 

"  Truly,  too  many  fine  young  men  here," 
thought  Dame  Charter,  ' '  while  Dickory  is  away, 
and  all  of  them  together  are  not  worth  a  curl 
on  his  head. ' ' 

But,  although  her  dreams  were  dimmed,  she 
did  not  cease  dreaming.  A  stout-hearted  woman 
was  Dickory 's  mother. 

But  it  was  not  long  before  there  were  other 
people  thereabout  who  began  to  feel  that  their 
prospects  for  present  enjoyment  were  beginning 
to  look  a  little  dim,  for  Captain  Christopher 
Vince,  having  met  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  at  an 
entertainment  at  the  Governor's  house,  was 
greatly  struck  by  this  young  lady.  Each  officer 
of  the  Badger  who  saw  their  captain  in  company 
with  the  fair  one  to  whom  their  gallant  attentions 
had  been  so  freely  offered,  now  felt  that  in  love 
as  well  as  in  accordance  with  the  regulations  of 
the  service,  he  must  give  place  to  his  captain. 
Moreover,  when  that  captain  took  upon  himself, 
the  very  next  day,  to  call  at  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Delaplaine,  and  repeated  the  visit  upon  the  next 
day  and  the  following,  the  crestfallen  young  fel- 
lows were  compelled  to  acknowledge  that  there 
were  other  houses  in  the  town  where  it  might 
be  better  worth  their  while  to  spend  their  leisure 

hours. 

119 


KATE   BONNET 

Captain  Vince  was  not  a  man  to  be  lightly 
interfered  with,  whether  he  happened  to  be  en- 
gaged in  the  affairs  of  Mars  or  Cupid.  He  was 
of  a  resolute  mind,  and  of  a  person  more  than 
usually  agreeable  to  the  female  eye.  He  was 
about  forty  years  of  age,  of  an  excellent  English 
family,  and  with  good  expectations.  He  consid- 
ered himself  an  admirable  judge  of  women,  but 
he  had  never  met  one  who  so  thoroughly  satis- 
fied his  aesthetic  taste  as  this  fair  niece  of  the 
merchant  Delaplaine.  She  had  beauty,  she  had 
wit,  she  had  culture,  and  the  fair  fabrics  of  Span- 
ish Town  shops  gave  to  her  attractions  a  setting 
which  would  have  amazed  and  entranced  Master 
Newcombe  or  our  good  Dickory.  The  soul  of 
Captain  Vince  was  fired,  and  each  time  he  met 
Kate  and  talked  with  her  the  fire  grew  brighter. 

He  had  never  considered  himself  a  marrying 
man,  but  that  was  because  he  had  never  met  any 
one  he  had  cared  to  marry.  Now  things  were 
changed.  Here  was  a  girl  he  had  known  but  for 
a  few  days,  and  already,  in  his  imagination,  he 
had  placed  her  in  the  drawing-rooms  of  the  Eng- 
lish home  he  hoped  soon  to  inherit,  more  beauti- 
ful and  even  more  like  a  princess  than  any  noble 
dame  who  was  likely  to  frequent  those  rooms. 
In  fancy  he  had  seen  her  by  his  side,  walking- 
through  the  shaded  alleys  of  his  grand  old  gar- 
dens; he  had  looked  proudly  upon  her  as  she 
stood  by  him  in  the  assemblages  of  the  great ;  in 
fact,  he  had  fallen  suddenly  and  absolutely  in 

120 


CAPTAIN    CHRISTOPHER   VINCE 

love  with  her.  When  he  was  away  from  her  he 
could  not  quite  understand  this  condition  of 
things,  but  when  he  was  with  her  again  he  un- 
derstood it  all.  He  loved  her  because  it  was 
absolutely  impossible  for  him  to  do  anything 
else. 

Naturally,  Captain  Vince  was  very  agreeable 
to  Mistress  Kate,  for  she  had  never  seen  such 
a  handsome  man,  taking  into  consideration  his 
uniform  and  his  bearing,  and  had  never  talked 
with  one  who  knew  so  well  what  to  say  and  how 
to  say  it.  Comparing  him  with  the  young  officers 
who  had  been  so  fond  of  making  their  way  to 
her  uncle's  house,  she  was  glad  that  they  had 
ceased  to  be  such  frequent  visitors. 

The  soul  of  Mr.  Delaplaine  was  agitated  by 
the  admiration  of  his  niece  which  Captain  Vince 
took  no  trouble  to  conceal.  The  worthy  merchant 
would  gladly  have  kept  Kate  with  him  for  years 
and  years  if  she  would  have  been  content  to  stay, 
but  this  could  not  be  expected ;  and  if  she  mar- 
ried, from  what  other  quarter  could  come  such 
a  brilliant  match  as  this?  What  his  brother-in- 
law  might  think  about  it  he  did  not  care ;  if  Kate 
should  choose  to  wed  the  captain,  such  an  eccen- 
tric and  untrustworthy  person  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  interfere  with  the  destiny  that  now 
appeared  to  open  before  his  daughter.  These 
thoughts  were  not  so  idle  as  might  have  been 
supposed,  for  the  captain  had  already  said  things 
to  the  merchant,  in  which  the  circumstances  of 
9  121 


KATE   BONNET 

the  former  were  made  plain  and  his  hopes  fore- 
shadowed. If  the  captain  were  not  prepared  to 
leave  the  service,  this  rich  merchant  thought, 
why  should  not  he  make  it  possible  for  him  to 
do  so,  for  the  sake  of  his  dear  niece ! 

With  these  high  ambitions  in  his  mind,  the 
happily  agitated  Mr.  Delaplaine  did  not  hesitate 
to  say  some  playful  words  to  Kate  concerning 
the  captain  of  the  Badger;  and  these  having 
been  received  quietly,  he  was  emboldened  to  go 
on  and  say  some  other  words  more  serious. 

Then  Kate  looked  at  him  very  steadfastly  and 
remarked :  ' '  But,  uncle,  you  have  forgotten 
Master  Newcombe. ' ' 

The  good  Delaplaine  made  no  answer,  for  his 
emotions  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  do  so, 
but,  rising,  he  went  out,  and  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  house  he  damned  Master  Newcombe. 

Days  passed  on  and  the  captain's  attentions 
did  not  wane.  Mr.  Delaplaine,  who  was  a  man 
of  honour  expecting  it  in  others,  made  up  his 
mind  that  something  decisive  must  soon  be  said ; 
while  Kate  began  greatly  to  fear  that  something 
decisive  might  soon  be  said.  She  was  in  a  diffi- 
cult position.  She  was  not  engaged  to  Martin 
Newcombe,  but  had  believed  she  might  be.  The 
whole  affair  involved  a  question  which  she  did 
not  want  to  consider.  And  still  the  captain  came 
eveiy  day,  generally  in  the  afternoon  or  evening. 

But  one  morning  he  made  his  appearance, 
coming  to  the  house  quite  abruptly. 

122 


CAPTAIN    CHRISTOPHER    VIXCE 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  you  by  yourself,"  said 
he,  "  for  I  have  some  awkward  news." 

Kate  looked  at  him  surprised. 

"  I  have  just.been  ordered  on  duty,"  he  con- 
tinued, "  and  the  order  is  most  unwelcome.  A 
brig  came  in  last  night  and  brought  letters,  and 
the  Governor  sent  for  me  this  morning.  I  have 
just  left  him.  The  cruise  I  am  about  to  take 
may  not  be  a  long  one,  but  I  cannot  leave  port 
without  coming  here  to  you  and  speaking  to  you 
of  something  which  is  nearer  to  my  heart  than 
any  thought  of  service,  or  in  fact  of  anything 
else." 

"  Speaking  to  my  uncle,  you  mean,"  said 
Kate,  now  much  disturbed,  for  she  saw  in  the 
captain's  eyes  what  he  wished  to  talk  of. 

' '  Away  with  uncles !  "  he  exclaimed ;  u  we 
can  speak  with  them  by-and-bye;  now  my  words 
are  for  you.  You  may  think  me  hasty,  but  we 
gentlemen  serving  the  king  cannot  afford  to 
wait;  and  so,  without  other  pause,  I  say,  sweet 
Mistress  Kate,  I  love  you,  better  than  I  have  ever 
loved  woman ;  better  than  I  can  ever  love  another. 
Nay,  do  not  answer;  I  must  tell  you  everything 
before  you  reply. ' '  And  to  the  pale  girl  he  spoke 
of  his  family,  his  prospects,  and  his  hopes.  In 
the  warmest  colours  he  laid  before  her  the  life 
and  love  he  would  give  her.  Then  he  went  quick- 
ly on :  "  This  is  but  a  little  matter  which  is  given 
to  my  charge,  and  it  may  not  engage  me  long; 
I  am  going  out  in  search  of  a  pirate,  and  I  shall 

123 


KATE    BONNET 

make  short  work  of  him.  The  shorter,  having 
such  good  reason  to  get  quickly  back. 

"  In  fact,  he  is  not  a  real  pirate  anyway, 
being  but  a  country  gentleman  tiring  of  his  rural 
life  and  liking  better  to  rob,  burn,  and  murder 
on  the  high  seas.  He  has  already  done  so  much 
damage,  that  if  his  evil  career  be  not  soon  put 
an  end  to  good  people  will  be  afraid  to  voyage 
in  these  waters.  So  I  am  to  sail  in  haste  after 
this  fellow  Bonnet;  but  before " 

Kate's  face  had  grown  so  white  that  it  seemed 
to  recede  from  her  great  eyes.  "  He  is  my 
father,"  said  she,  "  but  I  had  not  heard  until 
now  that  he  is  a  pirate!  " 

The  captain  started  from  his  chair. 
"  What!  M  he  cried,  "  your  father?  Yes,  I  see. 
It  did  not  strike  me  until  this  instant  that  the 
names  are  the  same." 

Kate  rose,  and  as  she  spoke  her  voice  was  not 
full  and  clear  as  it  was  wont  to  be.  "  He  is  my 
father,"  she  said,  "  but  he  sailed  away  without 
telling  me  his  errand  ;  but  now  that  I  know  every- 
thing, I  must—"  If  she  had  intended  to  say 
she  must  go,  she  changed  her  mind,  and  even 
came  closer  to  the  still  astounded  captain.  ' '  You 
say  that  you  will  make  short  work  of  his  vessel ; 
do  you  mean  that  you  will  destroy  it,  and  will 
you  kill  him?  " 

Captain  Vince  looked  down  upon  her.  his  face 
filled  with  the  liveliest  emotions.  "  My  dear 
young  lady,"  he  said,  and  then  he  stopped  as  if 

124 


He  is  my  father  !  "  said  Kate. 


CAPTAIN    CHRISTOPHER    VIXCE 

not  knowing  what  words  to  use.  But  as  he 
looked  into  her  eyes  fixed  upon  his  own  and  wait- 
ing for  his  answer,  his  love  for  her  took  pos- 
session of  him  and  banished  all  else.  "  Kill 
him,"  he  exclaimed,  "  never!  He  shall  be  as 
safe  in  my  hands  as  if  he  were  walking  in  his 
own  fields.  Kill  your  father,  dearest?  Loving 
you  as  I  do,  that  would  be  impossible.  I  may 
take  the  rascals  who  are  with  him,  I  may  string 
them  up  to  the  yard-arm,  or  I  may  sink  their 
pirate  ship  with  all  of  them  in  it,  but  your  father 
shall  be  safe.  Trust  me  for  that";  he  shall  come 
to  no  harm  from  me. ' ' 

She  stepped  a  little  way  from  him,  and  some 
of  her  colour  came  back.  For  some  moments 
she  looked  at  him  without  speaking,  as  if  she  did 
not  exactly  comprehend  what  he  had  said. 

"  Yes,  my  dear,"  he  continued,  "  I  must 
crush  out  that  piratical  crew,  for  such  is  my 
duty  as  well  as  my  wish,  but  your  father  I  shall 
take  under  my  protection ;  so  have  no  fear  about 
him,  I  beg  you.  With  his  ship  and  his  gang 
of  scoundrels  taken  away  from  him,  he  can  no 
longer  be  a  pirate,  and  you  and  I  will  deter- 
mine what  we  shall  do  with  him." 

"  You  mean,"  said  Kate,  speaking  slowly, 
"  that  for  my  sake  you  will  shield  my  father 
from  the  punishment  which  will  be  dealt  out  to 
his  companions  ?  ' ' 

He  smiled,  and  his  face  beamed  upon  her. 
"  What  blessed  words,"  he  exclaimed.     "  Yes, 

125 


KATE   BONNET 

for  your  sake,  for  your  sweet,  dear  sake  I  will 
do  anything;  and  as  for  this  matter,  I  assure 
you  there  are  so  many  ways " 

' '  You  mean, ' '  she  interrupted,  ' '  that  for  my 
sake  you  will  break  your  oath  of  office,  that  you 
will  be  a  traitor  to  your  service  and  your  king? 
That  for  my  sake  you  will  favour  the  fortunes 
of  a  pirate  whom  you  are  sent  out  to  destroy  ! 
Mean  it  if  you  please,  but  you  will  not  do  it. 
I  love  my  father,  and  would  fain  do  anything 
to  save  him  and  myself  from  this  great  calamity, 
but  I  tell  you,  sir,  that  for  my  sake  no  man  shall 
do  himself  dishonour !  ' ' 

Without  power  to  say  another  word,  nor  to 
keep  back  for  another  second  the  anguish  which 
raged  within  her,  she  fled  like  a  bird  and  was 
gone. 

The  captain  stretched  out  his  arms  as  if  he 
would  seize  her;  he  rushed  to  the  door  through 
which  she  had  passed,  but  she  was  gone.  He 
followed  her,  shouting  to  the  startled  servants 
who  came ;  he  swore,  and  demanded  to  see  their 
mistress ;  he  rushed  through  rooms  and  corridors, 
and  even  made  as  if  he  would  mount  the  stairs. 
Presently  a  woman  came  to  him,  and  told  him 
that  under  no  circumstances  could  Mistress  Bon- 
net now  be  seen. 

But  he  would  not  leave  the  house.  He  called 
for  writing  materials,  but  in  an  instant  threw 
down  the  pen.  Again  he  called  a  servant  and 
sent  a  message,  which  was  of  no  avail.    Dame 

126 


CAPTAIN    CHRISTOPHER  VINCE 

Charter  would  have  gone  down  to  him,  but  Kate 
was  in  her  arms.  For  several  minutes  the  furi- 
ous  officer  stood  by  the  chair  in  which  Kate  had 
been  sitting;  he  could  not  comprehend  the  fact 
that  this  girl  had  discarded  and  had  scorned  him 
And  vet  her  scorn  had  not  in  the  least  dampened 
the  violence  of  his  love  As  she  stood  and  spoke 
her  last  bitter  words,  the  grandeur  of  her  beauty 
had  made  him  speechless  to  defend  himse  f . 

He  seized  his  hat  and  rushed  from  the  house ; 
hot,  and  with  blazing  eyes,  he  appeared  in  the 
counting-room  of  Mr.  Delaplaine,  and  there  to 
that  astounded  merchant,  he  told,  with .hM 
cruelty,  of  his  orders  to  destroy  the  P^teBon- 
net,  his  niece's  father;  and  then  he  related  the 
details  of  his  interview  with  that  niece  herself 

Mr  Delaplaine 's  countenance,  at  first  shocked 
and  pained,  grew  gradually  sterner  and  colder 
Presently  he  spoke.  «  I  will  hear  no  more  such 
words,  Captain  Vince,"  he  said,  «  regarding  the 
members  of  my  family.  You  say  my  niece  knows 
not  what  fortune  she  trifles  with;  I  think  she 
does.  And  when  she  told  you  she  would  not 
accept  the  offer  of  your  dishonour,  I  commend 

her  every  word."  .  ,,    .-j 

Captain  Vince  frowned  black  as  night,  and 
clapped  his  hand  to  his  sword-hilt ;  but  the  pale 
merchant  made  no  movement  of  defence,  and  the 
captain  striking  his  clinched  fist  against  the 
abk  das  led  from  the  room.  Before  he  reached 
his  ship  he  had  sworn  a  solemn  oath:  he  vowed 

127 


KATE   BONNET 

that  he  would  follow  that  pirate  ship ;  he  would 
kill,  burn,  destroy,  annihilate,  but  out  of  the 
storm  and  the  fire  he  would  pick  unharmed  the 
father  of  the  girl  who  had  entranced  him  and 
had  spurned  him.  He  laughed  savagely  as  he 
thought  of  it.  With  that  dolt  of  a  father  in  his 
hands,  a  man  wearing  always  around  his  neck 
the  hangman's  noose,  he  would  hold  the  card 
which  would  give  him  the  game.  What  Mistress 
Kate  Bonnet  might  say  or  do;  what  she  might 
like  or  might  not  like ;  what  her  ideas  about  hon- 
our might  be  or  might  not  be,  it  would  be  a  very 
different  thing  when  he,  her  imperious  lover, 
should  hold  the  end  of  that  noose  in  his  hand. 
She  might  weep,  she  might  rave,  but  come  what 
would,  she  was  the  man's  daughter,  and  she 
would  be  Lady  Vince. 

So  he  went  on  board  the  Badger,  and  he 
cursed  and  he  commanded  and  he  raged ;  and  his 
officers  and  his  men,  when  the  hurried  violence 
of  his  commands  gave  them  a  chance  to  speak 
to  each  other,  muttered  that  they  pitied  that  pi- 
rate and  his  crew  when  the  Badger  came  up  with 
them. 

Clouds  settled  down  upon  the  home  of  Mr. 
Delaplaine.  There  were  no  visitors,  there  was 
no  music,  there  seemed  to  be  no  sunshine.  The 
beautiful  fabrics,  the  jewels,  and  the  feathers 
were  seen  no  more.  It  was  Kate  of  the  broken 
heart  who  wandered  under  the  trees  and  among 
the  blossoms,  and  knew  not  that  there  existed 

128 


CAPTAIN    CHRISTOPHER    VIXCE 

such  things  as  cooling  shade  and  sweet  fra- 
grance. She  could  not  be  comforted,  for,  al- 
though her  uncle  told  her  that  he  had  had  in- 
formation that  her  father's  ship  had  sailed 
northward,  and  that  it  was,  therefore,  likely  that 
the  corvette  would  not  overtake  him,  she  could 
not  forget  that,  whatever  of  good  or  evil  befell 
that  father,  he  was  a  pirate,  and  he  had  de- 
serted her. 

So  they  said  but  little,  the  uncle  and  the 
niece,  who  sorrowed  quietly. 

Dame  Charter  was  in  a  strange  state  of  mind. 
During  the  frequent  visits  of  Captain  Vince  she 
had  been  apprehensive  and  troubled,  and  her 
only  comfort  was  that  the  Badger  had  merely 
touched  at  this  port  to  refit,  and  that  she  must 
soon  sail  away  and  take  with  her  her  captain. 
The  good  woman  had  begun  to  expect  and  to 
hope  for  the  return  of  Dickory,  but  later  she  had 
blessed  her  stars  that  he  was  not  there.  He  was 
a  fiery  boy,  her  brave  son.  but  it  would  have 
been  a  terrible  thing  for  him  to  become  involved 
with  an  officer  in  the  navy,  a  man  with  a  long, 
keen  sword. 

Xow  that  the  captain  had  raged  himself  away 
from  the  Delaplaine  house  her  spirits  rose,  and 
her  great  fear  was  that  the  corvette  might  not 
leave  port  before  the  brig  came  in.  If  Dickory 
should  hear  of  the  things  that  captain  had  said 
—but  she  banished  such  thoughts  from  her  mind. 
she  could  not  bear  them. 

129 


KATE   BOXXET 

After  some  days  the  corvette  sailed,  and  the 
Governor  spoke  well  of  the  diligence  and  ardour 
which  had  urged  Captain  Vince  to  so  quickly 
set  out  upon  his  path  of  duty. 

"  When  Dickory  comes  back,"  said  Dame 
Charter  to  Kate,  "  he  may  bring  some  news  to 
cheer  your  poor  heart,  things  get  so  twisted  in 
the  telling." 

Kate  shook  her  head.  "  Dickory  cannot  tell 
me  anything  now,"  she  said,  "  that  I  care  to 
know,  knowing  so  much.  My  father  is  a  pirate, 
and  a  king's  ship  has  gone  out  to  destroy  him, 
and  what  could  Dickory  tell  me  that  would  cheer 
me?  " 

But  Dame  Charter's  optimism  was  beginning 
to  take  heart  again  and  to  spread  its  wings. 

"  Ah,  my  dear,  you  don't  know  what  good 
things  do  in  this  life  continually  crop  up.  A 
letter  from  your  father,  possibly  withheld  by 
that  wicked  Madam  Bonnet— which  is  what 
Dickory  and  I  both  think— or  some  good  words 
from  the  town  that  your  father  has  sold  his  ship, 
and  is  on  his  way  home.  Nobody  knows  what 
good  news  that  Dickory  may  bring  with  him." 

The  poor  girl  actually  smiled.  She  was 
young,  and  in  the  heart  of  youth  there  is  always 
room  for  some  good  news,  or  for  the  hope  of 
them. 

But  the  smile  vanished  altogether  when  she 
went  to  her  room  and  wrote  a  letter  to  Martin 
Newcombe.    In  this  letter,  which  was  a  long  one, 

130 


CAPTAIN   CHRISTOPHER   VINCE 

she  told  her  lover  how  troubled  she  had  been. 
That  she  had  nothing  now  to  ask  him  about  the 
bad  news  he  had,  in  his  kindness,  forborne  to 
tell  her,  and  that  when  he  saw  Dickory  Charter 
he  might  say  to  him  from  her  that  there  was  no 
need  to  make  any  further  inquiries  about  her 
father;  she  knew  enough,  and  far  too  much- 
more,  most  likely,  than  any  one  in  Bridgetown 
knew.  Then  she  told  him  of  Captain  Vmce  and 
the  dreadful  errand  of  the  corvette  Badger. 

Having  done  this,  Kate  became  as  brave  as 
anv  captain  of  a  British  man-of-war,  and  she 
told  her  lover  that  he  must  think  no  more  of  her ; 
it  was  not  for  him  to  pay  court  to  the  daughter  of 
a  pirate.    And  so,  she  blessed  him  and  bade  him 

When  she  had  signed  and  sealed  this  letter 
she  felt  as  if  she  had  torn  out  a  chapter  of  her 
young  life  and  thrown  it  upon  the  fire. 


131 


CHAPTER   XI 


BAD   WEATHER 


HEN  Diekory  Charter  sailed 
away  from  the  island  of  Ja- 
maica, his  reason,  had  it  been  called 
upon,  would  have  told  him  that  he  had  a  good 
stout  brig  under  him  on  which  there  were  peo- 
ple and  ropes  and  sails  and  something  to  eat 
and  drink.  But  in  those  moments  of  paradise 
he  did  not  trouble  his  reason  very  much,  and 
lived  in  an  atmosphere  of  joy  which  he  did 
not  attempt  to  analyze,  but  was  content  to 
breathe  as  if  it  had  been  the  common  air  about 
him.  He  was  going  away  from  every  one  he 
loved,  and  yet  never  before  had  he  been  so 
happy  in  going  to  any  one  he  loved.  He  cared 
to  talk  to  no  one  on  board,  but  in  company  with 
his  joy  he  stood  and  gazed  westward  out  over 
the  sea. 

He  was  but  little  younger  than  she  was,  and 
yet  that  difference,  so  slight,  had  lifted  him  from 
things  of  earth  and  had  placed  him  in  that  para- 
dise where  he  now  dwelt. 

132 


BAD    WEATHER 

So  passed  on  the  hours,  so  rolled  the  waves, 
and  so  moved  the  King  and  Queen  before  the 
favouring  breeze. 

It  was  on  the  second  day  out  that  the  breeze 
began  to  be  less  favouring,  and  there  were  signs 
of  a  storm ;  and,  in  spite  of  his  preoccupied  con- 
dition, Dickory  was  obliged  to  notice  the  hurried 
talk  of  the  officers  about  him,  he  occupying  a 
point  of  vantage  on  the  quarter-deck.  Presently 
he  turned  and  asked  of  some  one  if  there  was 
likelihood  of  bad  weather.  The  mate,  to  whom 
he  had  spoken,  said  somewhat  unpleasantly, 
"  Bad  weather  enough,  I  take  it,  as  we  may  all 
soon  know ;  but  it  is  not  wind  or  rain.  There  is 
bad  weather  for  you!     Do  you  see  that?  ' 

Dickory  looked,  and  saw  far  away,  but  still 
distinct,  a  vessel  under  full  sail  with  a  little 
black  spot  floating  high  above  it. 

He  turned  to  the  man  for  explanation.  ' '  And 
what  is  that?  "  he  said. 

"  It  is  a  pirate  ship/'  said  the  other,  his  face 
hardening  as  he  spoke,  "  and  it  will  soon  be 
firing  at  us  to  heave  to." 

At  that  moment  there  was  a  flash  at  the  bow 
of  the  approaching  vessel,  a  little  smoke,  and 
then  the  report  of  a  cannon  came  over  the  water. 

Without  further  delay,  the  captain  and  crew 
of  the  King  and  Queen  went  to  work  and  hove 
to  their  brig. 

Young  Dickory  Charter  also  hove  to.  He 
did  not  know  exactly  why,  but  his  dream  stopped 

133 


KATE   BONNET 

sailing  over  a  sea  of  delight.  They  stood  motion- 
less, their  sails  flapping  in  the  wind. 

"Pirates!"  he  thought  to  himself,  cold 
shivers  running  through  him,  "  is  this  brig  to 
be  taken  ?  Am  I  to  be  taken !  Am  I  not  to  go  to 
Barbadoes,  to  Bridgetown,  her  home !  Am  I  not 
to  take  her  back  the  good  news  which  will  make 
her  happy?     Are  these  things  possible?  " 

He  stared  over  the  water,  he  saw  the  swiftly 
approaching  vessel,  he  could  distinguish  the  skull 
and  bones  upon  the  black  flag  which  flew  above 
her. 

These  things  were  possible,  and  his  heart  fell ; 
but  it  was  not  with  fear.  Dickory  Charter  was 
as  bold  a  fellow  as  ever  stood  on  the  deck  in  a 
sea  fight,  but  his  heart  fell  at  the  thought  that 
he  might  not  be  going  to  her  old  home,  and  that 
he  might  not  sail  back  with  good  news  to  her. 

As  the  swift-sailing  pirate  ship  sped  on,  Ben 
Greenway  came  aft  to  Captain  Bonnet,  and  a 
grievous  grin  was  on  the  Scotchman's  face. 

"  Good  greetin's  to  ye,  Master  Bonnet,"  said 
he,  "  ye 're  truly  good  to  your  old  friends  an' 
neebours  an'  pass  them  not  by,  even  when  your 
pockets  are  burstin'  wi'  Spanish  gold." 

A  minute  before  this  Captain  Stede  Bonnet 
had  been  in  a  very  pleasant  state  of  mind.  It 
was  only  two  days  ago  that  he  had  captured  a 
Spanish  ship,  from  whioh  he  got  great  gain,  in- 
cluding considerable  stores  of  gold.    Everything 

131 


BAD   WEATHER 

of  value  had  been  secured,  the  tall  galleon  had 
been  burned,  and  its  crew  had  been  marooned 
on  a  barren  spot  on  the  coast  of  San  Domingo. 
The  spoils  had  been  divided,  at  least  every  man 
knew  what  his  share  was  to  be,  and  the  officers 
and  the  crew  of  the  Revenge  were  in  a  well-con- 
tented state  of  mind.  In  fact,  Captain  Bonnet 
would  not  have  sailed  after  a  little  brig,  certainly 
unsuited  to  cany  costly  cargo,  had  it  not  been 
that  his  piratical  principle  made  it  appear  to  him 
a  point  of  conscience  to  prey  upon  all  mercantile 
craft,  little  or  big,  which  might  come  in  his  way. 
Thus  it  was,  that  he  was  sailing  merrily  after 
the  King  and  Queen,  when  Ben  Greenway  came 
to  him  with  his  disturbing  words. 

"  What  mean  you?  "  cried  Bonnet.  "  Know 
you  that  vessel  ?  ' ' 

"  Ay,  weel, "  said  Ben,  "  it  is  the  King  and 
Queen,  bound,  doubtless,  for  Bridgetown.  I 
tell  ye,  Master  Bonnet,  that  it  was  a  great  deal  o ' 
trouble  an'  expense  ye  put  yersel'  to  when  ye 
went  into  your  present  line  o'  business  on  this 
ship.  Ye  could  have  stayed  at  hame,  where  she 
is  owned,  an'  wi'  these  fine  fellows  that  ye  have 
gathered  thegither,  ye  might  have  robbed  your 
neebours  right  an'  left  wi'out  the  trouble  o'  gom* 
to  sea." 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  roared  the  captain,  "  I 
will  have  no  more  of  this.  Is  it  not  enough  for 
me  to  be  annoyed  and  worried  by  these  everlast- 
ing  ships   of  Bridgetown,   which  keep   sailing 

135 


KATE   BONNET 

across  my  bows,  no  matter  in  what  direction  I 
go,  without  hearing  your  jeers  and  sneers  regard- 
ing the  matter  %  I  tell  you,  Ben  Greenway,  I  will 
not  have  it.  I  will  not  sutler  these  paltry  vessels, 
filled,  perhaps,  with  the  grocers  and  cloth  deal- 
ers from  my  own  town,  to  interfere  thus  with  the 
bold  career  that  I  have  chosen.  I  tell  you,  Ben 
Greenway,  I'll  make  an  example  of  this  one.  I 
am  a  pirate,  and  I  will  let  them  know  it— these 
fellows  in  their  floating  shops.  It  will  be  a  fair 
and  easy  thing  to  sink  this  tub  without  more 
ado.  I'd  rather  meet  three  Spanish  ships,  even 
had  they  naught  aboard,  than  one  of  these  right- 
eous craft  commanded  by  my  most  respectable 
friends  and  neighbours. ' ' 

Black  Paul,  the  sailing-master,  had  ap- 
proached and  had  heard  the  greater  part  of  these 
remarks. 

1 '  Better  board  her  and  see  what  she  carries, ' ' 
said  he,  "  before  we  sink  her.  The  men  have 
been  talking  about  her  and,  many  of  them,  fa- 
vour not  the  trouble  of  marooning  those  on  board 
of  her.  So,  say  most  of  us,  let's  get  what  we 
can  from  her,  and  then  quickly  rid  ourselves  of 
her  one  way  or  another." 

"  'Tis  well!  "  cried  Bonnet,  "  we  can  riddle 
her  hull  and  sink  her." 

' '  Wi '  the  neebours  on  board !  ' '  asked  Green- 
way. 

Captain  Bonnet  scowled  blackly. 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  he  shouted,  "  it  would 

136 


BAD    WEATHER 

serve  you  right  if  I  tied  you  baud  and  foot  and 
bundled  you  on  board  that  brig,  after  we  have 
stripped  her,  if  haply  she  have  anything  on 
board  we  care  for. ' ' 

"  An'  then  sink  her?  "  asked  the  Scotchman. 

"  Ay,  sink  her!  "  replied  Bonnet.  "  Thus 
would  I  rid  myself  of  a  man  who  vexes  me  every 
moment  that  I  lav  mv  eves  on  him,  and,  more- 
over,  it  would  please  you ;  for  you  would  die  in 
the  midst  of  those  friends  and  neighbours  you 
have  such  a  high  regard  for.  That  would  put 
an  end  to  your  cackle,  and  there  would  be  no 
gossip  in  the  town  about  it." 

The  sailing-master  now  came  aft.  The  vessel 
had  been  put  about  and  was  slowly  approaching 
the  brig.  "  Shall  we  make  fast?  "  asked  Black 
Paul.  "  If  we  do  we  shall  have  to  be  quick  about 
it ;  the  sea  is  rising,  and  that  clumsy  hulk  may 
do  us  damage." 

For  a  moment  Captain  Bonnet  hesitated,  he 
was  beginning  to  learn  something  of  the  risks 
and  dangers  of  a  nautical  life,  and  here  was  real 
danger  if  the  two  vessels  ran  nearer  each  other. 
Suddenly  he  turned  and  glared  at  Greenway. 
"  Make  fast!  "  he  cried  savagely,  "  make  fast! 
if  it  be  only  for  a  minute." 

"  Do  ye  think  in  your  heart,"  asked  the 
Scotchman  grimly,  "  that  ye 're  pirate  enough 
for  that?  " 


10  137 


CHAPTER   XII 


FACE   TO   FACE 


ITH  her  head  to  the  wind  the 
pirate  vessel  Revenge  bore 
down  slowly  upon  the  King 
and  Queen,  now  lying  to  and  awaiting  her. 
The  stiff  breeze  was  growing  stiffer  and  the 
sea  was  rising.  The  experienced  eye  of  Paul 
Bittern,  the  sailing-master  of  the  pirate,  now 
told  him  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  ap- 
proach the  brig  near  enough  to  make  fast  to 
her,  even  for  the  minute  which  Captain  Bon- 
net craved— the  minute  which  would  have  been 
long  enough  for  a  couple  of  sturdy  fellows  to 
toss  on  board  the  prize  that  exasperating  human 
indictment,  Ben  Greenway. 

"  We  cannot  do  it,"  shouted  Black  Paul  to 
Bonnet,  "  we  shall  run  too  near  her  as  it  is. 
Shall  we  let  fly  at  short  range  and  riddle  her 
hull?  " 

Captain  Bonnet  did  not  immediately  answer; 
the  situation  puzzled  him.    He  wanted  very  much 

13S 


FACE   TO   FACE 

to  put  the  Scotchman  on  board  the  brig,  and 
after  that  he  did  not  care  what  happened.  But 
before  he  could  speak,  there  appeared  on  the  rail 
of  the  King  and  Queen,  holding  fast  to  a  shroud, 
the  figure  of  a  young  man,  who  put  his  hand  to 
his  mouth  and  hailed : 

i '  Throw  me  a  line !     Throw  me  a  line !  ' ' 

Such  an  extraordinary  request  at  such  a  time 
naturally  amazed  the  pirates,  and  they  stood 
staring,  as  they  crowded  along  the  side  of  their 
vessel. 

' '  If  you  are  not  going  to  board  her, ' '  shout- 
ed Dickory  again,  ' i  throw  me  a  line !  ' ' 

Filled  with  curiosity  to  know  what  this 
strange  proceeding  meant,  Black  Paul  ordered 
that  a  line  be  thrown,  and,  in  a  moment,  a  tall 
fellow  seized  a  coil  of  light  rope  and  hurled  it 
through  the  air  in  the  direction  of  the  brig ;  but 
the  rope  fell  short,  and  the  outer  end  of  it  dis- 
appeared beneath  the  water.  Xow  the  spirit  of 
Black  Paul  was  up.  If  the  fellow  on  the  brig 
wanted  a  line  he  wanted  to  come  aboard,  and  if 
he  wanted  to  come  aboard,  he  should  do  so.  So 
he  seized  a  heavier  coil  and,  swinging  it  around 
his  head,  sent  it,  with  tremendous  force,  towards 
Dickory,  who  made  a  wild  grab  at"  it  and 
caught  it. 

Although  a  comparatively  light  line,  it  was  a 
long  one,  and  the  slack  of  it  was  now  in  the  water, 
so  that  Dickory  had  to  pull  hard  upon  it  before 
he  could  grasp  enough  of  it  to  pass  around  his 

139 


KATE   BONNET 

body.  He  had  scarcely  done  this,  and  had  made 
a  knot  in  it,  before  a  lurch  of  the  brig  brought  a 
strain  on  the  rope,  and  he  was  incontinently 
jerked  overboard. 

The  crew  of  the  merchantman,  who  had  not 
had  time  to  comprehend  what  the  young  fellow 
was  about  to  do,  would  have  grasped  him  had  he 
remained  on  the  rail  a  moment  longer,  but  now 
he  was  gone  into  the  sea,  and,  working  vigor- 
ously with  his  legs  and  arms,  was  endeavouring 
to  keep  his  head  above  water  while  the  pirates 
at  the  other  end  of  the  rope  pulled  him  swiftly 
towards  their  vessel. 

Great  was  the  excitement  on  board  the  Re- 
venge. Why  should  a  man  from  a  merchant- 
man endeavour,  alone,  to  board  a  vessel  which 
flew  the  Jolly  Roger?  Did  he  wish  to  join  the 
crew0?  Had  they  been  ill-treating  him  on  board 
the  brig?  Was  he  a  criminal  endeavouring  to 
escape  from  the  officers  of  the  law?  It  was  im- 
possible to  answer  any  of  these  questions,  and 
so  the  swarthy  rascals  pulled  so  hard  and  so 
steadily  upon  the  line  that  the  knot  in  it,  which 
Dickory  had  not  tied  properly,  became  a  slip- 
knot, and  the  poor  fellow's  breath  was  nearly 
squeezed  out  of  him  as  he  was  hauled  over  the 
rough  water.  When  he  reached  the  vessel 's  side 
there  was  something  said  about  lowering  a  lad- 
der, but  the  men  who  were  hauling  on  the  line 
were  in  a  hurry  to  satisfy  their  curiosity,  so  up 
came  Dickory  straight  from  the  water  to  the 

140 


FACE    TO    FACE 

rail,  and  that  proceeding  so  increased  the  squeez- 
ing that  the  poor  fellow  fell  upon  the  deck 
scarcely  able  to  gasp.  When  the  rope  was  loos- 
ened the  half-drowned  and  almost  breathless 
Dickory  raised  himself  and  gave  two  or  three 
deep  breaths,  but  he  could  not-  speak,  despite  the 
fact  that  a  dozen  rough  voices  were  asking  him 
who  he  was  and  what  he  wanted. 

With  the  water  pouring  from  him  in  streams, 
and  his  breath  coming  from  him  in  puffs,  he 
looked  about  him  with  great  earnestness. 

Suddenly  a  man  rushed  through  the  crowd  of 
pirates  and  stooped  to  look  at  the  person  who 
had  so  strangely  come  aboard.  Then  he  gave  a 
shout,  "It  is  Dickory  Charter,"  he  cried, 
"  Dickory  Charter,  the  son  o'  old  Dame  Charter! 
Ye  Dickory!  an'  how  in  the  name  o'  all  that's 
blessed  did  ye  come  here  ?  Master  Bonnet !  Mas- 
ter Bonnet!  "  he  shouted  to  the  captain,  who 
now  stood  by,  "  it  is  young  Dickory  Charter,  of 
Bridgetown.  He  was  on  board  this  vessel  before 
we  sailed,  wi'  Mistress  Kate  an'  me.  The  last 
time  I  saw  her  he  was  wi'  her." 

"What!"    exclaimed    Bonnet,    "with    my 

daughter?  " 

"  Ay,  ay!  "  said  Greenway,  "  it  must  have 
been  a  little  before  she  went  on  shore." 

"  Young  man!  "  cried  Bonnet,  stooping  to- 
wards Dickory,  "  when  did  you  last  see  my 
daughter?    Do  you  know  anything  of  her!  " 

The  voung  man  opened  his  mouth,  but  he 

141 


KATE   BONNET 

could  not  yet  do  much  in  the  way  of  speaking, 
but  he  managed  to  gasp,  "  I  come  from  her,  I 
am  bringing  you  a  message." 

"  A  message  from  Kate!  "  shouted  Bonnet, 
now  in  a  state  of  wild  excitement.  "  Here  you, 
Greenway,  lift  up  the  other  arm,  and  we  will  take 
him  to  my  cabin.  Quick,  man !  Quick,  man !  he 
must  have  some  spirits  and  dry  clothes.  Make 
haste  now !    A  message  from  my  daughter !  ' ' 

"  If  that's  so,"  said  Greenway,  as  he  and 
Bonnet  hurried  the  young  man  aft,  ' '  ye  'd  better 
no'  be  in  too  great  haste  to  get  his  message  out 
o'  him  or  ye '11  kill  him  wi'  pure  recklessness." 

Bonnet  took  the  advice,  and  before  many  min- 
utes Dickory  was  in  dry  clothes  and  feeling  the 
inspiriting  influence  of  a  glass  of  good  old  rum. 
Now  came  Black  Paul,  wanting  to  know  if  he 
should  sink  the  brig  and  be  done  with  her,  for 
they  couldn't  lie  by  in  such  weather. 

"  Don't  you  fire  on  that  ship!  "  yelled  Bon- 
net, "  don't  you  dare  it!  For  all  I  know,  my 
daughter  may  be  on  board  of  her." 

At  this  Dickory  shook  his  head.  ' '  No, ' '  said 
he,  "  she  is  not  on  board." 

"  Then  let  her  go,"  cried  Bonnet,  "  I  have 
no  time  to  fool  with  the  beggarly  hulk.  Let  her 
go !  I  have  other  business  here.  And  now,  sir, ' ' 
addressing  Dickory,  "  what  of  my  daughter? 
You  have  got  your  breath  now,  tell  me  quickly ! 
What  is  your  message  from  her?  When  did 
you  sail  from  Bridgetown?    Did  she  expect  me 

142 


FACE    TO    FACE 

to  overhaul  that  brig  1  How  in  the  name  of  all 
the  devils  could  she  expect  that !  ' ' 

"■  Come,  come  now,  Master  Bonnet!"  ex- 
claimed the  Scotchman,  kk  ye  are  talkin'  o1  your 
daughter,  the  good  an'  beautiful  Mistress  Kate, 
an'  no  matter  whether  ye  are  a  pirate  or  no,  ye 
must  keep  a  guard  on  your  tongue.  An'  if  ye 
think  she  knew  where  to  find  ye,  ye  must  con- 
sider her  an  angel  an'  no'  to  be  spoken  o'  in  the 
same  breath  as  de'ils." 

"  I  didn't  sail  from  Bridgetown,"  said  Dick- 
ory,  "  and  your  daughter  is  not  there.  I  come 
from  Jamaica,  where  she  now  is,  and  was  bound 
to  Bridgetown  to  seek  news  of  you,  hoping  that 
you  had  returned  there." 

"  Which,  if  he  had."  said  Ben,  who  found  it 
very  difficult  to  keep  quiet,  ' '  ye  would  hae  been 
under  the  necessity  o'  givhr  your  message  to  his 
bones  hangin'  in  chains." 

Bonnet  looked  savagely  at  Ben,  but  he  had  no 
time  even  to  curse. 

"  Jamaica!  "  he  cried,  "  how  did  she  get 
there?  Tell  me  quickly,  sir— tell  me  quickly! 
Do  you  hear  ? 

Dickory  was  now  quite  recovered  and  he  told 
his  story,  not  too  quickly,  and  with  much  atten- 
tion to  details.  Even  the  account  of  the  unusual 
manner  in  which  he  and  Kate  had  disembarked 
from  the  pirate  vessel  was  given  without  curtail- 
ment, nor  with  any  attention  to  the  approving 
grunts  of  Ben  Greenway.     When  he  came  to 

143 


KATE   BONNET 

speak  of  the  letter  which  Mr.  Newcombe  had 
written  her,  and  which  had  thrown  her  into  such 
despair  on  account  of  its  shortcomings,  Captain 
Bonnet  burst  into  a  fury  of  execration. 

"  And  she  never  got  my  letter!  "  he  cried, 
"  and  knew  not  what  had  happened  to  me.  It 
is  that  wife  of  mine,  that  cruel  wild-cat !  I  sent 
the  letter  to  my  house,  thinking,  of  course,  it 
would  find  my  daughter  there.  For  where  else 
should  she  be?  " 

"An'  a  maist  extraordinary  wise  mon  ye 
were  to  do  that,"  said  Ben  Greenway,  "  for  ye 
might  hae  known,  if  ye  had  ever  thought  o'  it 
at  all,  that  the  place  where  your  wife  was,  was 
the  place  where  your  daughter  couldna  be,  an' 
ye  no'  wi'  her.  If  ye  had  spoke  to  me  about 
it,  it  would  hae  gone  to  Mr.  Newcombe,  an'  then 
ye'd  hae  known  that  she'd  be  sure  to  get  it." 

At  this  a  slight  cloud  passed  over  Dickory's 
face,  and,  in  spite  of  the  misfortunes  which  had 
followed  upon  the  non-delivery  of  her  father's 
letter,  he  could  not  help  congratulating  himself 
that  it  had  not  been  sent  to  the  care  of  that  man 
Newcombe.  He  had  not  had  time  to  formulate 
the  reasons  why  this  proceeding  would  have  been 
so  distasteful  to  him,  but  he  wanted  Martin  New- 
combe to  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  good  or 
bad  fortune  of  Mistress  Kate,  whose  champion 
he  had  become  and  whose  father  he  had  found, 
and  to  whom  he  was  now  talking,  face  to  face. 

The  three  talked  for  a  long  time,   during 

144 


FACE    TO    FACE 

which  Black  Paul  had  put  the  vessel  about  upon 
her  former  course,  and  was  sailing  swiftly  to  the 
north.  As  Dickory  went  on,  Bonnet  ceased  to 
curse,  but,  over  and  over,  blessed  his  brother- 
in-law,  as  a  good  man  and  one  of  the  few  worthy 
to  take  into  his  charge  the  good  and  beautiful. 
Stede  Bonnet  had  always  been  very  fond  of  his 
daughter,  and,  now,  as  it  became  known  to  him 
into  what  desperate  and  direful  condition  his 
reckless  conduct  had  thrown  her,  he  loved  her 
more  and  more,  and  grieved  greatly  for  the 
troubles  he  had  brought  upon  her. 

1 '  But  it  '11  be  all  right  now, ' '  he  cried, ' '  she 's 
with  her  good  uncle,  who  will  show  her  the  most 
gracious  kindness,  both  for  her  mother's  sake 
and  for  her  own ;  and  I  will  see  to  it  that  she  be 
not  too  heavy  a  charge  upon  him. ' ' 

i  i  As  for  ye,  Dickory, ' '  exclaimed  Greenway, 
"  ye 're  a  brave  boy  an'  will  yet  come  to  be  an' 
honour  to  yer  mither's  declining  years  an'  to  the 
memory  o'  your  father.  But  how  did  ye  ever 
come  to  think  o'  boardin'  this  nest  o'  sea-de'ils, 
an'  at  such  risk  to  your  life?  " 

"  I  did  it,"  said  Dickory  simply,  "  because 
Mistress  Kate's  father  was  here,  and  I  was  bound 
to  come  to  him  wherever  I  should  find  him,  for 
that  was  my  main  errand.  They  told  me  on  the 
brig  that  it  was  Captain  Bonnet's  ship  that  was 
overhauling  us,  and  I  vowed  that  as  soon  as  she 
boarded  us  I  would  seek  him  out  and  give  him 
her  message ;  and  when  I  heard  that  the  sea  was 

145 


KATE   BONNET 

getting  too  heavy  for  you  to  board  us,  I  deter- 
mined to  come  on  board  if  I  could  get  hold  of  a 
line." 

Young  man,"  cried  Bonnet,  rising  to  his 
full  height  and  swelling  his  chest,  "  I  bestow 
upon  you  a  father's  blessing.  More  than  that  " 
—and  as  he  spoke  he  pulled  open  a  drawer  of  a 
small  locker— kk  here's  a  bag  of  gold  pieces,  and 
when  you  take  my  answer  you  shall  have  another 
like  it." 

But  Dickory  did  not  reach  out  his  hand  for 
the  money,  nor  did  he  say  a  word. 

"  Don't  be  afraid,"  cried  Bonnet.  "  If  you 
have  any  religious  scruples,  I  will  tell  you  that 
this  gold  I  did  not  get  by  piracy.  It  is  part  of 
my  private  fortune,  and  came  as  honestly  to  me 
as  I  now  give  it  to  you." 

But  Dickory  did  not  reach  out  his  han--]. 

Xow  up  spoke  Ben  Greenway:  ,;  Look  ye, 
boy,"  said  he,  k'  as  long  as  there's  a  chance  left 
o'  gettin'  honest  gold  on  board  this  vessel,  I  pray 
ye,  seize  it  an'  if  ye 're  afraid  o'  this  gold,  think- 
in  '  it  may  be  smeared  wi '  the  blood  o '  fathers  an' 
the  tears  o'  mithers,  I'll  tell  ye  ane  thing,  an' 
that  is,  that  Master  Bonnet  hasna  got  to  be 
much  o'  a  pirate  that  he  willna  tell  the  truth. 
So  I'll  tak'  the  money  for  ye,  Dickory.  an'  I'll 
keep  it  till  ye 're  ready  to  tak'  it  to  your  mithe.  . 
an'  I  hope  that  will  be  soon. 


U6 


>  > 


CHAPTER    XIII 

CAPTAIN    BONNET   GOES   TO   CHURCH 


HE  pirate  vessel  Revenge  was 
now  bound  to  the  coast  of  the 
(  arolinas  an.l  Virginia,  and 
perhaps  even  farther  north,  if  her  wicked  for- 
tune should  favour  her.  The  growing  commerce 
of  the  colonies  offered  great  prizes  in  those  days 
to  the  piratical  cruisers  which  swarmed  up  and 
down  the  Atlantic  coast.  To  lie  over  for  a  time 
off  the  coast  of  Charles  Town  was  Captain  Bon- 
net's immediate  object,  and  to  get  there  as  soon 
a-  possible  was  almost  a  necessity. 

The  crew  of  desperate  scoundrels  whom  lie 
had  gathered  together  had  discovered  that  their 
captain  knew  nothing  of  navigation  or  the  man- 
cement  of  a  ship,  and  there  were  many  of  them 
who  believed  that  if  Black  Paul  had  chosen  to 
turn  the  vessel's  bows  to  the  coast  of  South 
America,  Bonnet  would  not  have  known  that 
they  were  not  sailing  northward.  Thus  they  had 
lost  all  respect  for  him.  and  their  conduct  was 
kept  within  bounds  only  by  the  cruel  pnnish- 

147 


KATE   BONNET 

ments  which  he  inflicted  for  disobedience  or  gen- 
eral bad  conduct,  and  which  were  rendered  pos- 
sible by  the  dissensions  and  bad  feelings  among 
the  men  themselves ;  one  clique  or  faction  being 
always  ready  to  help  punish  another.  Conse- 
quently, the  landsman  pirate  would  speedily 
have  been  tossed  overboard  and  the  command 
given  to  another,  had  it  not  been  that  the  men 
were  not  at  all  united  in  their  opinions  as  to  who 
that  other  should  be. 

There  was  also  another  very  good  reason 
for  Bonnet's  continuance  in  authority;  he  was 
a  good  divider,  and,  so  far,  had  been  a  good 
provider.  If  he  should  continue  to  take  prizes, 
and  to  give  each  man  under  him  his  fair  share  of 
the  plunder,  the  men  were  likely  to  stand  by  him 
until  some  good  reason  came  for  their  changing 
their  minds.  So  with  floggings  and  irons,  on 
deck  and  below,  and  with  fair  winds  filling  the 
sails  above,  the  Revenge  kept  on  her  way;  and, 
in  spite  of  the  curses  and  quarrels  and  threats 
which  polluted  the  air  through  which  the  stout 
ship  sailed,  there  was  always  good-natured 
companionship  wherever  the  captain,  Dickory, 
and  Ben  Greenway  found  themselves  together. 
There  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  the  questions  which 
Bonnet  asked  about  his  daughter,  and  when  he 
had  asked  them  all  he  began  over  again,  and 
Dickory  made  answer,  as  he  had  done  before. 

The  young  fellow  was  growing  very  anxious 
at  this  northern  voyage,  and  when  he  asked  ques- 

148 


CAPTAIN  BONNET  GOES  TO  CHURCH 

tions  they  always  related  to  the  probability  of 
his  getting  back  to  Jamaica  with  news  from  the 
father  of  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet.  The  captain 
encouraged  the  hopes  of  an  early  return,  and 
vowed  to  Dickory  that  he  would  send  him  to 
Spanish  Town  with  a  letter  to  his  daughter  just 
as  soon  as  an  opportunity  should  show  itself. 

When  the  Revenge  reached  the  mouth  of 
Charles  Town  harbour  she  stationed  herself 
there,  and  in  four  days  captured  three  well-laden 
merchantmen;  two  bound  outward,  and  one  go- 
ing in  from  England. 

Thus  all  went  well,  and  with  willing  hands  to 
man  her  yards  and  a  proudly  strutting  captain 
on  her  quarter-deck,  the  pirate  ship  renewed  her 
northward  course,  and  spread  terror  and  made 
prizes  even  as  far  as  the  New  England  coast; 
and  if  Dickory  had  had  any  doubts  that  the  late 
reputable  planter  of  Bridgetown  had  now  become 
a  veritable  pirate  he  had  many  opportunities  of 
setting  himself  right.  Bonnet  seemed  to  be  grow- 
ing proud  of  his  newly  acquired  taste  for  ra- 
pacity and  cruelty.  Merchantmen  were  reckless- 
ly robbed  and  burned,  their  crews  and  passen- 
gers, even  babes  and  women,  being  set  on  shore 
in  some  desolate  spot,  to  perish  or  survive,  the 
pirate  cared  not  which,  and  if  resistance  were 
offered,  bloody  massacres  or  heartless  drownings 
were  almost  sure  to  follow,  and,  as  his  men  cov- 
eted spoils  and  delighted  in  cruelty,  he  satisfied 
them  to  their  hearts  content. 

149 


KATE   BONNET 

"  I  tell  you,  Dickory  Charter,"  said  he,  one 
day,  "  when  you  see  my  daughter  I  want  you 
to  make  her  understand  that  I  am  a  real  pirate, 
and  not  playing  at  the  business.  She's  a  brave 
girl,  my  daughter  Kate,  and  what  I  do,  she 
would  have  me  do  well  and  not  half-heartedly, 
to  make  her  ashamed  of  me.  And  then,  there  is 
my  brother-in-law,  Delaplaine.  I  don't  believe 
that  he  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  me  when  I 
was  a  plain  farmer  and  planter,  and  I  want  him 
to  think  better  of  me  now.  A  bold,  fearless  pirate 
cannot  be  looked  upon  with  disrespect." 

Dickory  groaned  in  his  heart  that  this  man 
was  the  father  of  Kate. 

Turning  southward,  rounding  the  cape  of 
Delaware,  the  Revenge  ran  up  the  bay,  seeking 
some  spot  where  she  might  take  in  water,  casting 
anchor  before  a  little  town  on  the  coast  of  New 
Jersey.  Here,  while  some  of  the  men  were  tak- 
ing in  water,  others  of  the  crew  were  allowed  to 
go  on  shore,  their  captain  swearing  to  them  that 
if  they  were  guilty  of  any  disorder  they  should 
suffer  for  it.  "  On  my  vessel,"  he  swore,  "  I 
am  a  pirate,  but  when  I  go  on  shore  I  am  a  gen- 
tleman, and  every  one  in  my  service  shall  be- 
have himself  as  a  gentleman.  I  beg  of  you  to 
remember  that. ' ' 

Agreeable  to  this  principle,  Captain  Bonnet 
arrayed  himself  in  a  fine  suit  of  clothes,  and 
without  arms,  excepting  a  genteel  sword,  and 
carrying  a  cane,  he  landed  with  Ben  Greenway 

150 


CAPTAIN  BOXXET  GOES  TO  CHURCH 

and  Dickory,  and  proceeded  to  indulge  himself 
in  a  promenade  up  the  main  street  of  the 
town. 

The  citizens  of  the  place,  terrified  and  amazed 
at  this  bold  conduct  of  a  vessel  fearlessly  flying 
a  black  flag  with  the  skull  and  bones,  could  do 
nothing  but  await  their  fate.  The  women  and 
children,  and  many  of  the  men,  hid  themselves 
in  garrets  and  cellars,  and  those  of  the  people 
who  were  obliged  to  remain  visible  trembled  and 
prayed,  but  Captain  Stede  Bonnet  walked  bold- 
ly up  the  right-hand  side  of  the  main  street  wav- 
ing his  cane  in  the  air  as  he  spoke  to  the  people, 
assuring  them  that  he  and  his  men  came  on  an 
errand  of  business,  seeking  nothing  but  some 
fresh  water  and  an  opportunity  to  stretch  their 
legs  on  solid  ground. 

"  If  you  have  meat  and  drink,"  he  cried, 
11  bestow  it  freely  upon  my  men,  tired  of  the 
unsavoury  food  on  shipboard,  and  if  they  trans- 
gress the  laws  of  hospitality  then  I,  their  cap- 
tain, shall  be  your  avenger;  we  want  none  of 
your  goods  or  money,  having  enough  in  our  well- 
laden  vessel  to  satisfy  all  your  necessities,  if  ye 
have  them,  and  to  feel  it  not." 

The  men  strolled  along  the  street,  swarmed 
into  the  two  little  taverns,  soon  making  away 
with  their  small  stores  of  ale  and  spirits,  and 
accepting  everything  eatable  offered  them  by  the 
shivering  citizens ;  but  as  to  violence  there  was 
none,  for  every  man  of  the  rascally  crew  bore 

151 


KATE   BONNET 

enmity  against  most  of  the  others,  and  held  him- 
self ready  for  a  chance  to  report  a  shipmate  or  to 
break  his  head. 

Black  Paul  was  a  powerful  aid  in  the  preser- 
vation of  order  among  the  disorderly.  Conflicts 
between  factions  of  the  crew  were  greatly  feared 
by  him,  for  the  schemes  which  happy  chance 
had  caused  to  now  revolve  themselves  in  his 
master  mind  would  have  been  sadly  interfered 
with  by  want  of  concord  among  the  men  of  the 
Revenge. 

Captain  Bonnet,  followed  at  a  short  distance 
by  Dickory  and  Ben,  was  interested  in  every- 
thing he  saw.  A  man  of  intelligence  and  consid- 
erable reading,  it  pleased  him  to  note  the  pecu- 
liarities of  the  people  of  a  country  which  he  had 
never  visited.  The  houses,  the  shops,  and  even 
the  attire  of  the  citizens,  were  novel  and  well 
worthy  of  his  observation.  He  looked  over  gar- 
den walls,  he  gazed  out  upon  the  fields  which 
were  visible  from  the  upper  end  of  the  street, 
and  when  he  saw  a  man  who  was  able  to  com- 
mand his  speech  he  asked  him  questions: 

There  was  a  little  church,  standing  back  from 
the  thoroughfare,  its  door  wide  open,  and  this 
was  an  instant  attraction  to  the  pirate  captain, 
who  opened  the  gate  of  the  yard  and  walked 
up  to  it. 

"  That  I  should  ever  again  see  Master  Stede 
Bonnet  goin'  into  a  church  was  something  I 
didna  dream  o',  Dickory,"  said  Ben  Greenway, 

152 


CAPTAIX  BONNET  GOES  TO  CHURCH 

' '  it  will  be  a  meeracle,  an'  I  doubt  if  he  dares  to 
pass  the  door  wi'  his  sins  an'  his  plunders  on  his 
head." 

But  Captain  Bonnet  did  pass  the  door,  rever- 
entially removing  his  hat,  if  not  his  crimes,  as 
he  entered.  In  but  few  ways  it  resembled  the 
houses  of  worship  to  which  he  had  been  accus- 
tomed in  his  earlier  days,  and  he  gazed  eagerly 
from  side  to  side  as  he  slowly  walked  up  the  cen- 
tral aisle.  Dickory  was  about  to  follow  him,  but 
he  was  suddenly  jerked  back  by  the  Scotchman, 
who  forcibly  drew  him  away  from  the  door. 

' '  Look  ye, ' '  whispered  Ben,  speaking  quick- 
ly, under  great  excitement,  "  look  ye,  Dickory, 
Heaven  has  sent  us  our  chance.  He's  in  there 
safe  an '  sound,  an '  the  good  angels  will  keep  his 
mind  occupied.  I'll  quietly  close  the  door  an' 
turn  the  key,  then  I  '11  slip  around  to  the.  back, 
an'  if  there  be  anither  door  there,  I'll  stop  it 
some  way,  if  it  be  not  already  locked.  Now, 
Dickory  boy,  make  your  heels  fly !  I  noticed,  be- 
fore we  got  here,  that  some  o '  the  men  were  mak- 
in '  their  way  to  the  boats ;  dash  ye  amang  them, 
Dickory,  an'  tell  them  that  the  day  they've  been 
longin'  for,  ever  since  they  set  foot  on  the  ves- 
sel, has  now  come.  Their  captain  is  a  prisoner, 
an'  they  are  free  to  hurry  on  board  their  vessel 
an'  carry  awa  wi'  them  a'  their  vile  plunder." 

"  What!  "  exclaimed  Dickory,  speaking  so 
earnestly  that  the  Scotchman  pulled  him  farther 
away  from  the  church,  "  do  you  mean  that  you 
11  153 


KATE   BONNET 

would  leave  Captain  Bonnet  here  by  himself,  in 
a  foreign  town?  " 

"  No'  a  .bit  o'  it,"  said  Ben,  "  I'll  stay  wi' 
him  an '  so  will  you.    Xow  run,  Dickory !  ' ' 

"  Ben!  "  exclaimed  the  other,  "  you  don't 
know  what  you  are  talking  about!  Captain 
Bonnet  would  be  seized  and  tried  as  a  pirate. 
His  blood  would  be  on  your  head,  Ben!  ' 

"  I  canna  talk  about  that  now,"  said  Ben 
impatiently,  "  ye  think  too  much  o'  the  man's 
body,  Dickory,  an'  I  am  considerin'  his  soul." 

' '  And  I  am  considering  his  daughter, ' '  said 
Dickory  fearlessly  ;udo  you  suppose  I  am  going 
to  help  to  have  her  father  hanged?  "  and  with 
these  words  he  made  a  movement  towards  the 
door. 

The  eager  Scotchman  seized  him.  "  Dick- 
ory, bethink  yoursel',"  said  he.  "I  don't  want 
to  hang  him,  I  want  to  save  him,  body  an'  soul. 
We  will  get  him  awa'  from  here  after  the  ship 
has  gone,  he  will  be  helpless  then,  he  canna  be 
a  pirate  a  minute  longer,  an'  he  will  give  up  an' 
do  what  I  tell  him.  ^Ye  can  leave  before  there 
is  ony  talk  o'  trial  or  hangin'.  Run,  Dickory, 
run!  Ye 're  sinfully  losin'  time.  Think  o'  his 
soul,  Dickory;  it's  his  only  chance!  " 

With  a  great  jerk  Dickory  freed  himself 
from  the  grasp  of  the  Scotchman. 

' '  It  is  Kate  Bonnet  I  am  thinking  of !  "  he  ex- 
claimed, and  with  that  he  bolted  into  the  church. 

The  captain  was  examining  the  little  pulpit. 

154: 


"Haste  ye  !  haste  ye,"  cried  Dickory,  "they  will  leave  you 

behind." 


CAPTAIN  BONNET  GOES  TO  CHURCH 

"  Haste  ye!  haste  ye!  "  cried  Dickory,  "  your 
men  are  all  hurrying  to  the  boats,  they  will  leave 
you  behind  if  they  can;  that's  what  they  are 
after.'' 

Bonnet  turned  quickly.  He  took  in  the  situ- 
ation in  a  second.  With  a  few  bounds  he  was  out 
of  the  church,  nearly  overturning  Ben  Green- 
way  as  he  passed  him.  Without  a  word  he  ran 
down  the  street,  his  cane  thrown  away,  and  his 
drawn  sword  in  his  hand. 

Dickory 's  warning  had  not  come  a  minute 
too  soon;  one  boat  full  of  men  was  pulling  to- 
wards the  ship,  and  others  were  hurrying  in  the 
direction  of  an  empty  boat  which  awaited  them 
at  the  pier.  Bonnet,  with  Dickory  close  at  his 
heels,  ran  with  a  most  amazing  rapidity,  while 
Greenway  followed  at  a  little  distance,  scarcely 
able  to  maintain  the  speed. 

"  What  means  this?  "  cried  Bonnet,  now  no 
longer  a  gentleman,  but  a  savage  pirate,  and  as 
he  spoke  he  thrust  aside  two  of  the  men  who  were 
about  to  get  into  the  boat,  and  jumped  in  him- 
self.    "  What  means  this?  "  he  thundered. 

Black  Paul  answered  quietly:  "  I  was  get- 
ting the  men  on  board,"  he  said,  "  so  as  to  save 
time,  and  I  was  coming  back  for  you. ' ' 

Bonnet  glared  at  his  sailing-master,  but  he 
did  not  swear  at  him,  he  was  too  useful  a  man, 
but  in  his  heart  he  vowed  that  he  would  never 
trust  Paul  Bittern  again,  and  that  as  soon  as  he 
could  he  would  get  rid  of  him. 

155 


i  i 
i  i 


KATE   BONNET 

But  when  he  reached  the  ship,  three  men  ont 
of  each  boat's  crew,  selected  at  random  to  repre- 
sent the  rest,  were  tied  up  and  flogged,  the  blows 
being  well  laid  on  by  scoundrels  very  eager  to 
be  brutal,  even  to  their  own  shipmates. 

11  Ah!  Dickory,  Dickory,"  cried  Ben  Green- 
way,  as  they  were  sailing  down  the  bay,  "  ye 
have  loaded  your  soul  wi'  sin  this  day;  I  fear 
ye '11  never  rise  from  under  it.  Whatever  vile 
deeds  that  Major  Bonnet  may  henceforth  be 
guilty  o'  ye '11  be  responsible  for  them  a',  Dick- 
ory, for  every  ane  o'  them." 

He's  bad  enough,  Ben,"  said  the  other, 
and  it's  many  a  wicked  deed  he  may  do  yet, 
but  I  am  going  to  carry  news  of  him  to  his  daugh- 
ter if  I  can ;  and  what 's  more,  I  am  not  going  to 
stay  behind  and  be  hanged,  even  if  it  is  in  such 
good  company  as  Major  Bonnet  and  you,  Ben 
Greenway. ' ' 

Whatever  should  happen  on  the  rest  of  that 
voyage;  whether  the  well-intentioned  treachery 
of  Ben  Greenway,  or  the  secret  villainies  of  the 
crew,  should  prevail ;  whether  disaster  or  success 
should  come  to  the  planter  pirate,  Dickory  Char- 
ter resolved  in  his  soul  that  a  message  from  her 
father  should  go  to  Kate  Bonnet,  and  that  he 
should  carry  it. 

The  spirits  of  Dickory  rose  very  much  as 
the  bow  of  the  Revenge  was  pointed  southward. 
Every  mile  that  the  pirate  vessel  sailed  brought 

156 


CAPTAIN  BONNET  GOES  TO  CHURCH 

him  nearer  to  the  delivery  of  his  message— a 
message  which,  while  it  told  of  her  father's  wick- 
ed career,  still  told  her  of  his  safety  and  of  his 
steadfast  affection  for  her.  Indirectly,  the  bring- 
ing of  such  a  message,  and  the  story  of  how  the 
bearer  brought  it,  might  have  another  effect, 
which,  although  he  had  no  right  to  expect,  was 
never  absent  from  Dickory's  soul.  This  ardent 
young  lover  did  not  believe  in  Master  Martin 
Newcombe.  He  had  no  good  reason  for  not  be- 
lieving in  him,  but  his  want  of  faith  did  not 
depend  upon  reason.  If  lovers  reasoned  too 
much,  it  would  be  a  sad  world  for  many  of 
them. 

When  the  Revenge  stopped  in  her  progress 
towards  the  heavenly  Island  of  Jamaica,  or  at 
least  that  island  which  was  the  abode  of  an  angel, 
and  anchored  off  Charles  Town  harbour,  South 
Carolina,  Dickory  fumed  and  talked  impatient- 
ly to  his  friend  Ben  Greenway.  Why  a  man, 
even  though  he  were  a  pirate,  and  therefore  of 
an  avaricious  nature,  should  want  more  booty, 
when  his  vessel  was  already  crowded  with  valu- 
able goods,  he  could  not  imagine. 

But  Ben  Greenway  could  very  easily  imag- 
ine. "  When  the  spirit  o'  sin  is  upon  ye,"  said 
the  Scotchman,  "  the  more  an'  more  wicked 
ye 're  likely  to  be;  an'  ye  must  no'  forget,  Dick- 
ory, that  every  new  crime  he  commits,  an'  a' 
the  property  he  steals,  an'  a'  the  unfortunate 
people  he  maroons,  will  hae  to  be  answered  for 

157 


KATE   BOXXET 

by  ye,  Dickory,  when  the  time  comes  for  ye  to 
stand  up  an'  say  what  ye  hae  got  to  say  about 
your  ain  sins.  If  ye  had  stood  by  me  an'  helped 
to  cut  him  short  in  his  nefarious  career,  he 
might  now  be  beginnm'  a  new  life  in  some  small 
coastin'  vessel  bound  for  Barbadoes." 

Dickory  gave  an  impatient  kick  at  the  mast 
near  which  he  was  standing.  "  It  would  have 
been  more  likely,"  said  he,  "  that  before  this 
he  would  have  begun  a  new  life  on  the  gallows 
with  you  and  me  alongside  of  him,  and  how  do 
you  suppose  you  would  have  got  rid  of  the  sin  on 
your  soul  when  you  thought  of  his  orphan  daugh- 
ter in  Jamaica  ?  ' ' 

1 1  Your  thoughts  are  too  much  on  that  daugh- 
ter/'  snapped  Greenway,  "  an'  no'  enough  on 
her  father's  soul." 

"  I  am  tired  of  her  father's  soul,"  said  Dick- 
ory. "  I  wonder  what  new  piece  of  mischief 
they  are  going  to  do  here;  there  are  no  ships 
to  be  robbed?  " 

Dickory  did  not  know  very  much,  or  care 
very  much  about  the  sea  and  its  commerce,  and 
some  ships  to  be  robbed  soon  made  their  ap- 
pearance. One  was  a  large  merchantman,  with 
a  full  cargo,  and  the  other  was  a  bark,  north- 
ward bound,  in  ballast.  The  acquisition  of  the 
latter  vessel  put  a  new  idea  into  Captain  Bon- 
net's head.  The  Revenge  was  already  over- 
loaded, and  he  determined  to  take  the  bark  as  a 
tender  to  relieve  him  of  a  portion  of  his  cargo 

158 


CAPTAIN  BONNET  GOES  TO  CHURCH 

and  to  make  herself  useful  in  the  business  of  ma- 
rooning and  such  troublesome  duties. 

Being  now  commander  of  two  vessels,  which 
might  in  time  increase  to  a  little  fleet,  Captain 
Bonnet's  ideas  of  his  own  importance  as  a  ter- 
ror of  the  sea  increased  rapidly.  On  the  Revenge 
he  was  more  despotic  and  severe  than  ever  be- 
fore, while  the  villain  who  had  been  chosen  to 
command  the  tender,  because  he  had  a  fair 
knowledge  of  navigation,  was  informed  that  if 
he  kept  the  bark  more  than  a  mile  from  the  flag- 
ship, he  would  be  sunk  with  the  vessel  and  all 
on  board.  The  loss  of  the  bark  and  some  men 
would  be  nothing  compared  to  the  maintenance 
of  discipline,  quoth  the  planter  pirate. 

Bonnet's  ambition  rose  still  higher  and 
higher.  He  was  not  content  with  being  a  re- 
lentless pirate,  bloody  if  need  be,  but  he  longed 
for  recognition,  for  a  position  among  his  fellow- 
terrors  of  the  sea.  which  should  be  worthy  of 
a  truly  wicked  reputation.  A  pirate  bold,  he 
would  consort  with  pirates  bold.  So  he  set  sail 
for  the  Gulf  of  Honduras,  then  a  great  rendez- 
vous for  piratical  craft  of  many  nations.  If  the 
father  of  Kate  Bonnet  had  captured  and  burned 
a  dozen  ships,  and  had  forced  every  sailor  and 
passenger  thereupon  to  walk  a  plank,  he  would 
not  have  sinned  more  deeply  in  the  eyes  of  Dick- 
ory  Charter  than  he  did  by  thus  ruthlessly,  in- 
humanly, hard-heartedly,  and  altogether  shame- 
fully ignoring  and  pitilessly  passing  by  that 

159 


KATE   BONNET 

island  on  which  dwelt  an  angel,  his  own  daugh- 
ter. 

But  Bonnet  declared  to  the  young  man  that 
it  would  now  be  dangerous  for  him  and  his  ship 
to  approach  the  harbour  of  Kingston,  generally 
the  resort  of  British  men-of-war,  but  in  the  wa- 
ters of  Honduras  he  could  not  fail  to  find  some 
quiet  merchant  ship  by  which  he  could  send  a 
message  to  his  daughter.  Ay!  and  in  which  — 
and  the  pirate's  eye  glistened  with  parental  joy 
as  this  thought  came  into  his  mind— he  might, 
disguised  as  a  plain  gentleman,  make  a  visit  to 
Mistress  Kate  and  to  his  good  brother-in-law, 
Delaplaine. 

So  Dickory  was  now  to  be  satisfied,  and  even 
to  admit  that  there  might  be  some  good  common 
sense  in  these  remarks  of  that  most  uncommon 
pirate,  Captain  Bonnet. 

So  the  Revenge,  with  her  tender,  sailed 
southward,  through  the  fair  West-Indian  waters 
and  by  the  fair  West-Indian  isles,  to  join  herself 
to  the  piratical  fleet  generally  to  be  found  in  the 
waters  of  Honduras. 


160 


CHAPTER   XIV 


A   GIRL   TO   THE    FRONT 


w 


f^<p] 


^JJB.  HE  days  were  getting  very  long 
JMt/oSk  a^  Spanish  Town,  although 
^^^SJMfe*  ^Jy^J  there  were  no  more  hours  of 
sunlight  than  was  usual  at  the  season;  and 
even  the  optimism  of  Dame  Charter  was 
scarcely  able  to  brighten  her  own  soul,  much 
less  that  of  Kate  Bonnet,  who  had  almost  for- 
gotten what  it  was  to  be  optimistic.  Poor  Mr. 
Delaplaine,  whose  life  had  begun  to  cheer  up 
wonderfully  since  the  arrival  of  his  niece  and  her 
triumphant  entry  into  the  society  of  the  town, 
became  more  gloomy  than  he  had  been  since  the 
months  which  followed  the  death  of  his  wife. 
Over  and  over  did  he  wish  that  his  brother-in- 
law  Bonnet  had  long  since  been  shut  up  in  some 
place  where  his  eccentricities  could  do  no  harm 
to  his  fellow-creatures,  especially  to  his  most 
lovely  daughter. 

Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  was  not  a  girl  to  sit 
quietly  under  the  tremendous  strain  which  bore 
upon  her  after  the  departure  of  the  Badger. 

161 


KATE   BONNET 

How  could  she  be  contented  or  even  quiet  at  any 
moment,  when  at  that  moment  that  heartless 
Captain  Vince  might  have  his  sword  raised 
above  the  head  of  her  unfortunate  father ! 

"  Uncle/'  she  said,  "  I  cannot  bear  it  any 
longer,  I  must  do  something." 

"  But,  my  dear,"  he  asked,  looking  down 
upon  her  with  infinite  affection,  ' '  what  can  you 
do!  We  are  here  upon  an  immovable  island, 
and  your  father  and  Captain  Vince  are  sailing 
upon  the  sea,  nobody  knows  where." 

"I  thought  about  it  all  last  night,"  said  Kate, 
"  and  this  is  what  I  will  do.  I  will  go  to  the 
Governor;  I  will  tell  him  all  about  my  father. 
I  do  not  think  it  will  be  wrong  even  to  tell  him 
why  I  think  his  mind  has  become  unsettled,  for 
if  that  woman  in  Bridgetown  has  behaved  wick- 
edly, her  wickedness  should  be  known.  Then  I 
will  ask  him  to  give  me  written  authority  to  take 
my  father  wherever  I  may  find  him,  and  to  bring 
him  here,  where  it  shall  be  decided  what  shall 
be  done  with  him;  and  I  am  sure  the  decision 
will  be  that  he  must  be  treated  as  a  man  whose 
mind  is  not  right,  and  who  should  be  put  some- 
where where  he  can  have  no.thing  to  do  with 
ships." 

This  was  all  quite  childish  to  Mr.  Delaplaine, 
but  for  Kate's  dear  sake  he  treated  her  scheme 
seriously. 

"  But  tell  me,  my  dear,"  said  he,  "  how 
are   you   going   to   find   your   father,    and   in 

162 


A   GIRL    TO    THE    FRONT 

what  way  can  you  bring  him  back  here  with 

you?  " 

"  The  first  thing  to  do/'  said  Kate,  "  is  to 
hire  a  ship ;  I  know  that  my  little  property  will 
yield  me  money  enough  for  that.  As  for  bring- 
ing him  back,  that's  for  me  to  do.  With  my 
arms  around  his  neck  he  cannot  be  a  pirate 
captain.  And  think  of  it,  uncle!  If  my  arms 
are  not  soon  around  his  neck,  it  may  be  the 
hangman's  rope  which  will  be  there.  That  is, 
if  he  is  not  killed  by  that  revengeful  Captain 
Vince. ' ' 

Mr.  Delaplaine  was  troubled  far  more  than  he 
had  yet  been.  His  sorrowing  niece  believed  that 
there  was  something  which  might  be  done  for 
her  father,  but  he,  her  practical  uncle,  did  not 
believe  that  anything  could  be  done.  And,  even 
if  this  were  possible,  he  did  not  wish  to  do  it. 
If,  by  some  unheard-of  miracle,  his  niece  should 
be  enabled  to  carry  out  her  scheme,  she  could 
not  go  alone,  and  thoughts  of  sailing  upon  the 
sea,  and  the  dangers  from  pirates,  storms,  and 
wrecks,  were  very  terrible  to  the  quiet  merchant. 
He  could  not  encourage  this  night-born  scheme 
of  his  niece. 

"  But  there  is  one  thing  I  can  do,'"  cried 
Kate,  ' '  and  I  must  do  it  this  very  day.  I  must 
go  to  the  Governor's  house,  and  I  pray  you, 
uncle,  that  you  will  go  with  me.  I  must  tell  him 
about  my  father.  I  must  make  him  do  something 
which  shall  keep  that  Captain  Vince  from  sail- 

163 


KATE   BONNET 

ing  after  him  and  killing  him.  How  I  wish  I 
had  thought  of  all  this  before.  But  it  did  not 
come  to  me." 

It  was  not  half  an  hour  after  that  when  Kate 
and  her  uncle  entered  the  grounds  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's mansion. 


164 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE   GOVERNOR   OF   JAMAICA 


t: 


PoTTfeR    — 


fcfS 


^HE  Governor  of  Jamaica  was 
much  interested  in  the  visit  of 
Kate  Bonnet,  whom  he  saw 
alone  in  a  room  adjoining  the  public  apartments 
He  had  met  her  two  or  three  times  before,  and 
had  been  forced  to  admit  that  the  young  girls 
of  Barbadoes  must  be  pretty  and  piquant  in  an 
extraordinary  degree,  and  he  had  not  wondered 
that  his  friend,  Captain  Vince,  should  have 
spoken  of  her  in  such  an  enthusiastic  manner. 

But  now  she  was  different.  Her  sorrow  had 
given  her  dignitv  and  had  added  to  her  beauty. 
She  quickly  told  her  tale,  and  he  started  upright 
in  his  chair  as  he  heard  it. 

"  Do  vou  mean,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  that 
pirate,  after  whom  I  sent  the  Badger,  is  your 
father?  It  amazes  me!  The  similarity  of  names 
did  not  strike  me;  I  never  imagined  any  con- 
nection between  you  and  the  captain  of  that 

pirate  ship." 

165 


KATE   BOXXET 

"  That's  what  Captain  Vince  said  when  I  last 
saw  him, ' '  remarked  Kate. 

"  It  must  have  astounded  him  to  know  it," 
exclaimed  the  Governor,  "  and  I  wonder,  know- 
ing it,  that  he  consented  to  obey  my  orders ;  and 
had  I  been  in  his  place  I  would  have  preferred 
to  be  dismissed  from  the  service  rather  than  to 
sail  after  your  father  and  to  destroy  him.  If 
I  had  known  what  I  know  now,  my  orders  to 
Captain  Vince  would  have  been  very  different 
from  what  they  were.  I  would  have  told  him 
to  capture  your  father,  and  to  bring  him  here  to 
me.    It  cannot  be  that  he  is  in  his  right  mind !  " 

Xow  Kate  was  weeping;  the  terrible  words 
"  destroy  him,"  and  the  assurance  that  if  she 
had  thought  sooner  of  appealing  to  the  Governor, 
much  misery,  or  at  least  the  thought  of  misery, 
might  have  been  spared  her,  so  affected  her  that 
she  could  not  control  herself. 

The  Governor  did  not  attempt  to  console 
her.  Her  sorrow  was  natural,  and  it  was  her 
right. 

When  she  looked  up  again  she  spoke  about 
what  she  had  come  to  ask  him  for;  the  author- 
ity to  bring  back  her  father  wherever  she  might 
find  him,  and  to  defend  him  from  the  attacks 
of  all  persons,  whoever  they  might  be.  until  she 
reached  Jamaica.  And  then  she  told  him  how 
she  would  seek  for  her  father  on  every  sea. 

The  Governor  sat  and  pondered.  The  father 
of  such  a  girl  should  be  saved  from  the  terrible 

166 


THE   GOVERNOR   OF   JAMAICA 

fate  awaiting  him,  if  the  thing  could  possibly  be 
done.  And  yet,  what  a  difficult,  almost  hopeless 
thing  it  was  to  do.  To  find  a  pirate,  a  fierce  and 
bloody  pirate,  and  bring  him  back  unharmed  to 
his  daughter's  arms  and  to  reasonable  restraint. 

He  spoke  earnestly.  "  What  you  propose, " 
he  said,  "  you  cannot  do.  It  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  you  to  find  your  father ;  and  if  you  did, 
no  matter  who  might  be  with  you,  and  no  matter 
how  successful  you  might  be  with  him,  his  crew 
would  not  let  him  go.  But  there  is  one  thing 
which  might  be  done.  The  Badger  will  report 
at  different  stations,  and  her  course  and  present 
cruising  ground  might  be  discovered.  Tims  I 
might  send  a  despatch  to  Captain  Vince,  order- 
ing him  not  to  harm  your  father,  but  to  take  him 
prisoner,  and  to  bring  him  here  to  be  dealt  with. ' ' 

Kate  sprang  to  her  feet. 

"  An  order  to  Captain  Vince!  "  she  ex- 
claimed, "  an  order  to  withhold  his  hand  from 
my  father !  Ah,  sir,  your  goodness  is  great,  this 
is  far  more  than  I  had  dared  to  expect !  When 
I  last  saw  Captain  Vince  he  left  me  in  a  great 
rage,  but,  knowing  that  he  would  respect  your 
order,  I  would  dare  his  rage.  If  his  revengeful 
hand  should  be  withheld  from  my  father  I  would 
fear  nothing. " 

' '  I  beg  you  to  be  seated, ' '  said  the  Governor, 
"  and  let  me  assure  you,  that  in  offering  to  send 
this  order  to  Captain  Vince  I  do  not  in  the  least 
expect  you  to  take  it.    But  there  is  one  thing  I 

167 


KATE   BONNET 

do  not  understand.  Why  should  the  captain 
have  left  you  in  a  great  rage?  Perhaps  I  have 
not  a  right  to  ask  this,  but  it  seems  to  me  to  have 
some  bearing  upon  his  alacrity  in  setting  forth 
in  pursuit  of  the  Revenge. ' ' 

'  *  I  fear, ' '  said  Kate, ' '  that  this  may  be  true ; 
I  do  not  deem  it  improper  for  me  to  say  to 
you,  sir,  that  Captain  Vince  made  me  an  offer 
of  marriage,  and  that  in  order  to  induce  me  to 
accept  it  he  offered,  should  he  come  up  with  the 
Revenge,  to  spare  my  father  and  to  let  him  go 
free,  visiting  the  punishment  he  was  sent  to  in- 
flict upon  the  rest  of  the  people  in  the  ship. ' ' 

"lam  surprised,"  said  the  Governor,  "  to 
hear  you  say  that;  such  an  action  would  have 
been  direct  disobedience  to  his  orders.  It  would 
have  been  disloyalty,  which  not  even  the  pos- 
session of  your  fair  hand  could  justify.  And 
you  refused  his  offer?  " 

"  That  did  I,"  said  Kate,  her  face  flushing 
at  the  recollection  of  the  unpleasant  interview 
with  the  captain ; ' '  I  cared  not  for  him,  and  even 
had  I,  I  would  not  have  consented  to  wed  a  man 
who  offered  me  his  dishonour  as  a  bribe  for 
doing  so.  Not  even  for  my  father's  life  would 
I  become  the  bride  of  such  a  one!  " 

"  Well  spoken,  Mistress  Bonnet,"  exclaimed 
the  Governor, i '  your  heart,  though  a  tender,  is  a 
stout  one.  But  this  you  tell  me  of  Captain  Vince 
is  very  bad;  he  is  a  vindictive  man  and  will 
have  what  he  wants,  even  without  regard  to  the 

168 


THE    GOVERNOR    OF    JAMAICA 

means  by  which  he  may  get  it.  I  am  glad  to 
know  what  you  have  told  me,  Mistress  Bonnet, 
and  if  I  had  known  it  betimes  I  would  not  have 
sent,  in  pursuit  of  your  father,  a  man  whose 
anger  had  been  excited  against  his  daughter. 
But  now  I  shall  despatch  orders  to  Captain 
Vince  which  shall  be  very  exact  and  peremptory. 
After  he  has  received  them  he  will  not  dare  to 
harm  your  father,  and  would  cause  him  to  be 
brought  here  as  I  command." 

"  From  my  heart  I  thank  you,  sir,"  cried 
Kate,  ' '  give  me  the  orders  and  I  will  take  them, 
or  I  will " 

"  Nay,  nay,"  said  the  Governor,  "  such 
offices  are  not  for  you,  but  I  will  give  the  matter 
my  present  attention.  On  any  day  a  vessel  may 
enter  the  port  with  news  of  the  Badger,  and  on 
any  day  a  vessel  may  clear  from  Kingston,  pos- 
sibly for  Bridgetown,  where  I  imagine  the 
Badger  will  first  touch.  Rely  upon  me,  my  dear 
young  lady,  my  order  shall  go  to  Captain  Vince 
by  the  very  earliest  opportunity." 

Kate  rose  and  thanked  him  warmly.  k'  This 
is  much  to  do,  your  Excellency,  for  one  poor 
girl,"  she  said. 

"It  is  but  little  to  do."  said  the  Governor, 
"  and  that  girl  be  yourself." 

With  that  he  rose,  offered  Kate  his  arm.  and 
conducted  her  to  her  uncle. 

When  Mr.  Delaplaine  was  made  acquainted 
with  the  result  of  the  interview,  both  his  grati- 
12  169 


KATE   BONNET 

tude  and  surprise  were  great.  He  compre- 
hended far  better  than  Kate  could  the  extent  of 
the  favour  which  the  Governor  had  offered  to 
bestow.  It  was,  indeed,  extraordinary  to  com- 
mute what  was  really  a  sentence  of  death  against 
a  notorious  and  dangerous  pirate  for  the  sake 
of  a  beautiful  and  pleading  woman.  An  ambi- 
tious idea  shot  through  the  merchant's  brain. 
The  Governor  was  a  widower ;  he  had  met  Kate 
before.  Was  there  any  other  lady  on  the  is- 
land better  fitted  to  preside  over  the  guberna- 
torial household?  But,  although  a  man  of  high 
position  could  not  wed  the  daughter  of  a  pirate, 
a  pirate,  evidently  of  an  unsound  mind,  could 
be  adjudged  demented,  as  he  truly  was,  and 
thus  the  shadow  of  his  crime  be  lifted  from  him. 
This  was  a  great  deal  to  think  in  a  very  short 
time,  but  the  good  merchant  did  it,  and  the  fer- 
vour of  his  thankfulness  was  greatly  increased 
by  his  rapid  reflections. 

As  they  were  on  their  way  home  Kate 's  eyes 
were  bright,  and  her  step  lighter  than  it  had 
been  of  late.  "  Now,  uncle,"  said  she,  "  you 
know  we  shall  not  wait  for  any  chance  ship 
which  may  take  the  Governor's  despatch.  "We 
shall  engage  a  swift  vessel  ourselves,  by  which 
the  orders  may  be  carried.  And,  uncle,  when 
that  ship  sails  I  must  go  in  her." 

"  You!  "  cried  Mr.  Delaplaine,  "  you  go  in 
search  of  the  Badger  and  Captain  Vince?    That 

can  never " 

170 


THE    GOVERNOR   OF   JAMAICA 

"  But  remember,  uncle,"  cried  Kate,  "  it  is 
just  as  likely  that  I  shall  meet  my  father's  ship 
as  any  other,  and  then  we  can  snap  our  fingers 
at  all  orders  and  all  captains.  My  father  shall 
be  brought  here  and  the  good  Governor  will 
make  him  safe,  and  free  him,  as  he  best  knows 
how,  from  the  terrible  straits  into  which  his  dis- 
turbed reason  has  led  him." 

Her  uncle  would  not  darken  Kate's  bright 
hopes,  ill-founded  though  he  thought  them.  To 
look  into  those  sparkling  eyes  again  was  a  joy 
of  which  he  would  not  deprive  himself,  if  he 
could  help  it. 

"  Suppose  he  should  capture  our  vessel," 
she  exclaimed ;  ' '  what  a  grand  thing  it  would 
be  for  him,  all  unknowing,  to  spring  upon  our 
deck  and  instantly  be  captured  by  me.  After 
that,  there  would  be  no  more  pirate's  life  for 
him!  " 

When  Dame  Charter  heard  what  had  hap- 
pened at  the  Governor's  house  and  had  listened 
to  the  recital  of  Kate's  glowing  schemes,  her 
eyes  did  not  immediately  glisten  with  joy. 

"  If  you  go,  Mistress  Kate,"  said  she,  "  in 
search  of  your  father  or  that  wicked  Captain 
Vince,  I  go  with  you,  but  I  cannot  go  without 
my  Dickory.  It  is  full  time  to  expect  his  re- 
turn, although,  as  he  was  to  depend  upon  so 
many  chances  before  he  could  come  back,  his 
absence  may,  with  good  reason,  continue  longer, 
and  I  could  not  have  him  come  back  and  find 

171 


KATE   BONNET 

his  mother  gone,  no  man  knows  where.  For  in 
such  a  quest,  what  man  could  know?  " 

"  Oh,  Dickory  will  be  here  soon!  "  cried 
Kate;  "  any  ship  which  comes  sailing  towards 
the  harbour  may  bring  him." 

The  Governor  of  Jamaica  was  a  man  of  great 
experience,  and  with  a  fairly  clear  insight  into 
the  ways  of  the  wicked.  When  Kate  and  her 
uncle  had  left  him  and  he  paced  the  floor,  with 
the  memory  of  the  beautiful  eyes  of  the  pirate's 
daughter  as  they  had  been  uplifted  to  his  own, 
he  felt  assured  that  he  could  see  rightly  into  the 
designs  of  the  unscrupulous  Captain  Vince.  Of 
what  avail  would  it  be  for  him  to  kill  the  father 
of  the  girl  who  had  rejected  him?  It  would  be 
an  atrocious  but  temporary  triumph  scarcely  to 
be  considered.  But  to  capture  that  fattier;  to 
disregard  the  laws  of  the  service  and  the  orders 
of  his  superiors,  which  he  had  already  proposed 
to  do ;  to  communicate  with  Kate  and  to  hold  up 
before  her  terror-stricken  eyes  the  life  of  her 
father,  to  be  ended  in  horror  or  enjoyed  in  peace 
as  she  might  decide— that  would  be  Vince,  as 
the  Governor  knew  him. 

The  Governor  knew  well  his  man,  and  those 
were  the  designs  and  intentions  of  Captain  Chris- 
topher Vince  of  his  Majesty's  corvette  the  Bad- 
ger. 


172 


CHAPTER    XVI 


A    QUESTION    OF    ETIQUETTE 


ROUDLY  sailed  the  Revenge 
and  her  attendant  bark  into 
the  waters  of  Honduras  Gulf, 
and  proudly  stood  Captain  Stede  Bonnet  upon 
his  quarter-deck,  dressed  in  a  handsome  uni- 
form which  might  have  been  that  of  a  cap- 
tain or  admiral  in  the  royal  navy;  one  hand 
caressed  his  ornate  sword-hilt,  while  the  other 
was  thrust  into  the  bosom  of  his  gilt-embroidered 
coat.  A  newly  fashioned  Jolly  Roger,  in  which 
the  background  was  very  black  and  the  skull 
and  cross-bones  ghastly  white,  flew  from  his 
masthead. 

As  night  came  on  there  could  be  seen,  twink- 
ling far  away  upon  the  horizon,  a  beacon  light, 
which  in  those  days  was  kept  burning  for  the 
benefit  of  the  piratical  craft  which  made  a  ren- 
dezvous of  the  waters  off  Belize,  then  the  com- 
mercial centre  for  the  vessels  of  the  "  free  com- 
panions." Having  supposed,  in  his  unnautical 
mind,  that  his  entrance  into  the  Gulf  of  Hondu- 

178 


KATE    BONNET 

ras  meant  the  end  of  his  present  voyage,  and 
not  wishing  to  lower  his  own  feeling  of  impor- 
tance by  asking  too  many  questions  of  his  in- 
feriors, Captain  Bonnet  had  bedecked  himself 
a  day  too  soon,  and  there  were  some  jeers 
and  sneers  among  his  crew  when  he  descend- 
ed to  his  cabin  to  take  off  his  fine  clothes. 
But  his  self-complacency  was  well  armoured, 
and  he  did  not  hear  the  jokes  of  which  he  was 
the  subject,  especially  by  the  little  clique  of 
which  Black  Paul  was  the  centre.  But  the  sail- 
ing-master knew  his  business,  and  the  Revenge 
was  safely,  though  slowly,  sailed  among  the  coral- 
reefs  and  islands  until  she  dropped  anchor  off 
Belize.  Early  in  the  morning  the  now  dignified 
and  pompous  Captain  Bonnet,  of  that  terror  of 
the  seas,  the  pirate  craft  Revenge,  again  arrayed 
himself  in  a  manner  befitting  his  position,  and 
stationed  himself  on  the  quarter-deck,  where  he 
might  be  seen  by  the  eyes  of  all  the  crews  of  the 
other  pirate  vessels  anchored  about  them  and  by 
the  glasses  of  their  officers. 

Apart  from  a  general  desire  to  show  himself 
in  the  ranks  of  his  fellow-pirates  and  to  receive 
from  them  the  respect  which  was  due  to  a  man 
of  his  capabilities  and  general  merits,  Stede  Bon- 
net had  a  particular  reason  for  his  visit  to  this 
port  and  for  surrounding  himself  with  all  the 
pomp  and  circumstance  of  high  piratical  rank. 
He  had  been  informed  that  a  great  man,  a  hero 
and  chief  among  his  fellows— in  fact,  the  dean 

174 


A   QUESTION   OF   ETIQUETTE 

of  the  piratical  faculty,  and  known  as  "  Black- 
beard,"  the  most  desperate  and  reckless  of  all 
the  pirates  of  the  day— was  now  here. 

To  meet  this  most  important  sea-robber  and 
to  receive  from  him  the  hand  of  fellowship  had 
been  Bonnet's  desire  and  ambition  since  he  had 
heard  that  it  was  possible. 

The  morning  was  advanced  and  the  Revenge 
was  rolling  easily  at  her  anchorage,  but  Bonnet 
was  somewhat  uncertain  as  to  the  next  step  he 
ought  to  take.  He  wanted  to  see  Blackbeard  as 
soon  as  possible,  but  it  would  certainly  be  a 
breach  of  etiquette  entirely  inconsistent  with  his 
present  position  for  him  to  go  to  see  him.  He 
was  the  latest  comer,  and  thought  it  was  the  part 
of  Blackbeard  to  make  the  first  visit. 

Paul  Bittern  now  came  aft.  "  The  men  are 
getting  very  restless,"  he  said;  "  they  want  to 
go  on  shore.    They'd  all  go  if  I'd  let  'em." 

Captain  Bonnet  gave  his  sailing-master  a 
lofty  glare. 

"  If  I  should  let  them,  you  mean,  sir.  I  am 
sorry  I  cannot  break  you  of  the  habit  of  forget- 
ting that  I  command  this  ship.  "Well,  sir,  you 
may  tell  them  that  they  cannot  go.  I  am  expect- 
ing a  visit  from  the  renowned  Blackbeard,  now 
in  this  port,  and  I  wish  to  welcome  him  with 
all  respect  and  a  full  crew." 

Black  Paul  smiled  disagreeably.  ' '  I  will  tell 
you,  sir,  that  you  cannot  keep  these  men  on  board 
much  longer  with  the  town  of  Belize  within  a 

175 


KATE    BOXXET 

row  of  half  a  mile.  They  've  been  at  sea  too  long 
for  that.  There'll  be  a  mutiny,  sir,  if  I  go  for- 
ward with  that  message  of  yours.  It  will  be 
prudent  to  let  some  of  them  go  ashore  now  and 
others  later  in  the  day.  I  will  go  in  the  first 
boat  and  see  to  it  that  the  men  come  back  with 
me.  And,  by  the  way,  it  would  not  be  a  bad 
thing  if  I  touch  at  Blackboard's  vessel  and  in- 
form him  that  you  are  here;  I  don't  suppose 
he  knows  the  Revenge,  nor  her  captain  neither." 

"  I  doubt  that,  Bittern,"  said  Bonnet,  "  I 
doubt  it  very  much.  I  assure  you  that  I  am 
known  from  one  end  of  this  coast  to  the  other, 
and  Captain  Blackbeard  is  not  an  ignorant  man. 
So  you  can  go  ashore  and  take  some  of  the  men, 
stopping  at  Blackboard's  ship.  And,  by  the 
way,  I  want  you  to  go  by  that  bark  of  ours  and 
give  her  the  old  black  Roger  I  used  to  fly.  I 
forgot  to  send  it  to  her,  and  a  man  might  as  well 
not  own  and  command  two  vessels  if  he  get  not 
the  credit  of  it." 

When  Black  Paul  had  gone  to  execute  his 
orders,  Ben  Greenway  heaved  a  heavy  sigh. 
"  Now  I  begin  to  fear,  Master  Bonnet,  that  the 
day  o'  your  salvation  has  really  gone  by.  When 
ye  not  only  murder  an'  rob  upon  the  high  seas, 
but  keep  consort  with  other  murderers  an'  rob- 
bers, then  I  fear  ye  are  indeed  lost.  But  I  shall 
stand  by  ye,  Master  Bonnet,  I  shall  stand  by  ye ; 
an'  if  ever  I  find  there  is  the  least  bit  o'  ye  to 
be  snatched  from  the  flames,  I'll  snatch  it!  " 

176 


A    QUESTION    OF   ETIQUETTE 

"  I  don't  like  that  sort  of  talk,  Ben  Green- 
way,"  cried  Bonnet,  "  especially  at  this  time 
when  my  soul  swells  with  content  at  the  success 
which  has  crowned  my  undertakings.  This 
Blackbeard  is  a  valiant  man  and  a  great  one, 
but  it  is  my  belief  that  when  we  have  sat  down 
to  compare  our  notes,  it  will  be  found  that  I 
have  captured  as  many  cargoes,  burned  as  many 
ships,  and  marooned  as  many  people  in  my  last 
cruise  as  he  has. ' ' 

"  So  I  suppose,"  said  Ben,  "  that  ye  think 
ye  hae  achieved  the  right  to  sink  deeper  into 
hell  than  he  can  ever  hope  to  do?  " 

Bonnet  made  no  answer,  but  turned  away. 
The  Scotchman  was  becoming  more  and  more 
odious  to  him  every  day,  but  he  would  not  quar- 
rel on  this  most  auspicious  morning.  He  must 
keep  his  mind  unruffled  and  his  head  high.  He 
had  his  own  plans  about  Greenway :  he  was  not 
far  from  Barbadoes,  and  when  he  left  the  har- 
bour of  Belize  it  would  be  of  advantage  to  his 
peace  of  mind  as  well  as  to  the  comfort  of  a 
faithful  old  servant  if  he  should  anchor  for  a 
little  while  in  the  river  below  the  town  and  put 
Ben  Greenway  on  shore. 

Ben  gave  no  further  reason  for  quarrelling. 
He  was  greatly  dejected,  but  he  had  sworn  to 
himself  to  stand  by  his  old  master,  no  matter 
what  might  happen,  and  when  he  took  an  oath 
he  meant  what  he  swore. 

Dickory  Charter  was  in  much  worse  case  than 

177 


KATE    BONNET 

Ben  Greenway.  He  was  not  much  of  a  geo- 
graphical scholar,  but  he  knew  that  the  Gulf  of 
Honduras  was  not  really  very  far  from  the 
Island  of  Jamaica,  where  dwelt,  waited,  and 
watched  Mistress  Kate  Bonnet  and  his  mother. 
If  he  had  known  that  during  the  voyage  down 
from  the  Atlantic  coast  the  lievenge  had  sailed 
through  the  Windward  Passage,  running  in 
some  of  her  long  tacks  within  less  than  a  day's 
sail  of  Jamaica,  he  would  have  chafed,  fumed, 
and  fretted  even  more  than  he  did  now. 

' '  Captain  Bonnet, ' '  he  cried,  ' '  if  you  could 
but  let  me  go  on  shore,  I  might  surely  find  some 
vessel  bound  to  Kingston,  or  to  any  place  upon 
the  Island  of  Jamaica,  from  which  spot  I  could 
make  my  way  on  foot,  even  if  it  were  on  the 
opposite  end.  Thus  I  could  take  messages  and 
letters  from  you  to  your  daughter  and  Mr. 
Delaplaine,  and  ease  the  minds  both  of  them 
and  my  mother,  all  of  whom  must  now  be  in 
most  doleful  plight,  not  knowing  anything  about 
you  or  hearing  anything  from  me,  and  this  for 
so  long  a  time ;  then  you  could  remain  here  with 
no  feelings  of  haste  until  you  had  disposed  of 
your  cargoes  and  had  finished  your  business." 

Captain  Bonnet  stood  loftily  with  a  smile  of 
benignity  upon  his  face.  "  It  is  a  clever  plan," 
said  he,  "  and  you  are  a  good  fellow,  Dickory, 
but  your  scheme,  though  well  intentioned,  is  un- 
sound. I  have  too  much  regard  for  you  to  trust 
you  in  any  vessel  sailing  from  Belize  to  Kings- 

178 


A   QUESTION    OF   ETIQUETTE 

ton,  where  there  are  often  naval  vessels.  Going 
from  this  port,  you  would  be  as  likely  to  be 
strung  up  to  the  yard-arm  as  to  be  allowed  to  go 
ashore.  Be  patient  then,  my  good  fellow;  when 
my  affairs  are  settled  here,  the  Revenge  may  run 
up  to  the  coast  of  Jamaica,  where  you  may  be 
put  off  at  some  quiet  spot,  and  all  may  happen 
as  you  have  planned,  my  good  Dickory.  Even 
now  I  am  writing  a  letter,  hoping  for  some  such 
opportunity  of  sending  it  to  my  daughter." 

Dickory  sighed  in  despair.  It  might  take  a 
month  or  more  before  Kate's  father  could  settle 
his  affairs,  and  how  long,  how  long  it  had  been 
since  his  soul  had  been  reaching  itself  out 
towards  Kate  and  his  mother ! 

When  the  sailing-master  set  out  in  the  long- 
boat, crowded  with  men,  he  stopped  at  the  bark 
but  did  not  go  too  near  for  fear  that  some  of 
the  crew  might  jump  into  his  already  overloaded 
boat. 

"  You  are  to  run  up  this  rag,"  cried  Black 
Paul  to  Clip,  the  fellow  in  command ;  and  so  say- 
ing, he  handed  up  the  old  Jolly  Roger  on  the 
blade  of  an  oar.  ' '  Our  noble  admiral  fears  that 
if  you  do  not  that  you  may  be  captured  by  some 
of  these  good  vessels  lying  hereabout." 

Clip  roared  out  with  a  laugh:  "  I  will  attend 
to  the  capture  as  soon  as  I  get  out  of  reach  of 
his  guns,  which  he  will  not  dare  to  use  here,  I 
take  it.  But  I  want  you  to  know  and  him  to 
know  that  we're  not  goin'  to  stay  on  board  and 

179 


KATE   BONNET 

in  sight  of  the  town.  If  you  go  ashore,  so  go 
we. ' ' 

' '  Stay  where  ye  are  till  orders  come  to  ye, ' ' 
shouted  Black  Paul,  "  if  ye  want  to  keep  the 
cat  off  your  backs!  "  And  as  he  rowed  away 
the  men  on  the  bark  gave  him  a  cheer  and  pro- 
ceeded to  lower  two  boats. 

From  nearly  every  pirate  ship  in  the  anchor- 
age the  proceedings  of  the  newly  arrived  vessels 
had  been  watched.  No  one  wanted  to  board  them 
or  in  any  way  to  interfere  with  them  until  it  was 
found  out  what  they  intended  to  do.  The  Re- 
venge was  a  stranger  in  that  harbour,  although 
her  fame  was  known  on  not  a  few  pirate  decks ; 
but  if  she  came  to  Belize  to  fraternize  with  the 
other  pirate  vessels  there  gathered  together,  why 
didn't  she  do  it?  No  idea  of  importance  and 
dignity,  which  his  position  imposed  upon  Cap- 
tain Stede  Bonnet,  entered  their  piratical  minds. 
When  the  long-boat  put  forth  from  the  Revenge, 
a  good  deal  of  interest  was  excited  in  the  an- 
chored vessels.  The  great  Blackbeard  himself 
stood  high  upon  his  deck  and  surveyed  the 
strangers  through  a  glass. 

The  men  in  the  sailing-master's  boat  rowed 
steadily  towards  Blackbeard 's  vessel.  Bittern 
knew  it  well,  for  he  had  seen  it  before,  and  had 
even  had  the  honour,  so  to  speak,  of  having 
served  for  a  short  time  under  the  master  pirate 
of  that  day. 

As  soon  as  the  boat  was  near  enough  Black- 

180 


A    QUESTION   OF   ETIQUETTE 

beard  hailed  it  in  a  tremendous  voice  and  or- 
dered the  stranger  to  pull  up  and  make  fast. 
This  being  done,  a  rope  ladder  was  lowered  and 
Bittern  mounted  to  the  deck,  being  assisted  in 
his  passage  over  the  side  by  a  tremendous  pull 
given  by  Blackbeard. 

The  great  pirate  seemed  to  be  in  high  good 
spirits,  and  very  glad  to  see  his  visitor.  Black- 
beard  was  a  large  man,  wide  and  heavy,  and 
the  first  impression  conveyed  by  his  personality 
was  that  of  hair  and  swarthiness.  An  un- 
t rimmed  black  beard  lay  upon  his  chest,  and  his 
long  hair  hung  in  masses  from  under  his 
slouched  hat;  his  eyes  were  dark  and  sparkling, 
and  gleamed  like  beacon  lights  from  out  a  mid- 
night sky;  the  sleeves  of  his  shirt  were  rolled 
up,  and  his  arms  seemed  almost  as  hairy  as  his 
head;  two  pairs  of  pistols  were  stuck  into  his 
belt,  and  a  great  cutlass  was  conveniently  tucked 
up  by  his  side. 

"Ho,  ho!  "  he  cried,  "  Black  Paul!  And 
where  do  you  come  from,  and  what  are  you  doing 
here !  And  what  is  the  name  of  that  vessel  with 
the  brand-new  Roger?  Has  she  just  gone  into 
the  business,  that  she  decks  herself  out  so  fine? 
Come  now,  sit  here  and  have  some  brandy  and 
tell  me  what  is  the  meaning  of  these  two  vessels 
coming  into  the  harbour,  and  what  you  have  to 
do  with  them." 

Bittern  was  delighted  to  know  that  his  old 
commander  remembered   him,   and   was   readv 

1S1 


KATE    BONNET 

enough,  to  talk  with  him,  for  that  was  the  errand 
he  had  come  upon. 

"  But,  captain,"  said  he,  "I  am  afraid  to 
wander  away  from  the  gunwale,  for  if  I  have  not 
my  eye  upon  them,  my  men  will  be  rowing  to 
the  town  before  I  know  it.  They  are  mad  to  be 
on  shore. ' ' 

Blackbeard  made  no  answer;  he  stepped  to 
the  side  of  the  vessel  and  looked  over.  "  Let 
go!  "  he  shouted  to  the  man  who  held  the  boat's 
rope,  "  and  you  rascals  row  out  a  dozen  strokes 
from  my  vessel  and  keep  your  boat  there;  and 
if  you  move  an  oar  towards  the  town  I  will  sink 
you!  "  With  that  he  ordered  two  small  guns 
to  be  trained  upon  the  boat. 

The  boat's  crew  did  not  hesitate  one  second 
in  obeying  these  orders.  They  knew  by  whom 
they  were  given,  and  there  was  no  man  in  the 
great  body  of  free  companions  who  would  dis- 
obey an  order  given  by  Blackbeard.  They  rowed 
to  the  position  assigned  them  and  sat  quietly 
looking  into  the  mouths  of  the  two  cannon  which 
were  pointed  towards  them. 

"  Now  then,"  said  Blackbeard,  turning  to 
Bittern,  "  I  think  they'll  stay  there  till  they  get 
some  other  order." 

Between  frequent  sips  at  the  cup  of  brandy 
Bittern  told  the  story  of  the  Revenge,  and  Black- 
beard listened  with  many  an  oath  and  many  a 
pound  upon  his  massive  knee  by  his  mighty  fist. 

"  Oh,  I  have  heard  of  him,"  he  cried,  "  I 

1S2 


A   QUESTION   OF   ETIQUETTE 

have  heard  of  him!  He  has  played  the  devil 
along  the  Atlantic  coast.  He  must  be  a  great 
fellow  this— what  did  you  say  his  name  was?  " 

' '  Bonnet, ' '  said  the  other. 

Blackbeard  laughed.  ' '  That  suits  him  well ; 
he  must  have  clapped  his  name  over  the  eyes  of 
many  a  merchant  captain!  Where  did  he  sail 
before  he  hoisted  the  Jolly  Roger?  " 

At  this  Bittern  laughed.  "  He  never  sailed 
anywhere,  he  is  no  seaman;  and  if  he  were  not 
rich  enough  to  pay  others  to  do  his  navigatin' 
for  him  he  would  have  run  his  vessel  upon  the 
first  sand-bar  on  his  way  from  Bridgetown  to 
the  sea.  But  he  pays  some  good  mariner  to  sail 
his  Revenge,  and  he  now  pays  me.  I  am,  in  fact, 
the  captain  of  his  vessel." 

"  You  mean,"  cried  Blackbeard,  "  that  he 
knows  nothing  of  navigation!  " 

i i  Xot  a  whit, ' '  replied  the  other ; l '  he  doesn't 
know  the  backstays  from  the  tafTrail.  It  was 
only  yesterday  that  he  thought  he  was  already 
in  the  port  of  Belize,  and  dressed  himself  up 
like  a  fighting-cock  to  meet  you." 

"  To  meet  me?  "  roared  Blackbeard;  "  what 
does  he  want  to  meet  me  for,  and  why  don't  he 
come  and  do  it  instead  of  sending  you?  " 

"  Xot  he,"  said  Bittern.  "  He  is  a  great 
man,  if  not  a  sailor ;  he  knows  what  is  politeness 
on  shipboard,  and  as  he  is  the  last  comer  you 
must  be  the  first  caller.  He  is  all  dressed  up 
now,  hoping  that  you  will  row  over  to  the  Re- 

1S3 


KATE    BOXXET 

venge  as  soon  as  you  know  that  he  is  its  com- 
mander. ' ' 

The  haiiy  pirate  leaned  back  and  laughed  in 
loud  explosions. 

"  He  is  a  rare  man,  truly,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  this  Captain  Nightcap  of  yours " 

"  Bonnet,"  interrupted  Bittern. 

'k  Well,  one  is  as  good  as  the  other,"  cried 
Blackbeard,  "  and  he  be  well  clothed  if  it  be 
of  the  right  colour.  And  you  started  out  with 
him  to  sail  his  ship,  you  rascal !  That's  a  piece 
of  impudence  almost  as  great  as  his  own." 

Bittern  did  not  much  like  this  speech,  and 
wanted  to  explain  that  since  he  had  served  un- 
der Blackbeard  he  had  commanded  vessels  him- 
self, but  he  restrained  himself  and  told  how  Sam 
Loftus  had  been  tumbled  overboard  for  running 
afoul  his  captain,  and  how  he  had  been  appointed 
to  his  place. 

Xow  Blackbeard  laughed  again,  with  a  great 
pound  upon  his  knee.  "  He  is  a  man  after  my 
own  heart,"  he  shouted,  "  be  he  sailor  or  no 
sailor,  this  nightcap  commander  of  yours.  I 
know  I  shall  love  him!  "  And  springing  to  his 
feet  and  uttering  a  resounding  oath,  he  swore 
that  he  would  visit  his  new  brother  that  after- 
noon. 

"  Xow,  away  with  you!  "  cried  Blackbeard, 
"  and  tell  Sir  Nightcap " 

"  Bonnet,"  interrupted  Bittern. 

"  Well,  Bonnet  or  Cap,  it  matters  not  to  me. 

184 


A   QUESTION    OF   ETIQUETTE 

Row  straight  back  to  your  ship,  and  let  him  know 
that  I  shall  be  there  and  shall  expect  to  be  re- 
ceived with  admiral's  honours." 

Bittern  looked  somewhat  embarrassed.  ' '  But, 
captain, ' '  he  said,  ' '  my  men  are  on  their  way  to 
the  town,  and  I  fear  me  they  will  rebel  if  I  tell 
them  they  cannot  now  go  there." 

In  saying  this  the  sailing-master  spoke  not 
onlv  for  his  men,  but  for  himself.  He  was  very 
anxious  to  go  ashore ;  he  had  business  there ;  he 
wanted  to  see  who  were  in  the  place,  and  what 
was  going  on  before  Bonnet  should  go  to  the 
town. 

"What!"  cried  Blackbeard,  putting  his 
head  down  like  a  charging  bull.  ' '  I  order  you 
to  row  back  to  your  vessel  and  take  my  message ; 
and  if  you  do  it  not  I  will  sink  you  all  in  a 
bunch!  Into  your  boat,  sir,  and  waste  not  an- 
other minute.  If  you  are  not  able  to  command 
your  men,  I  will  keep  you  here  and  give  them 
a  coxswain  who  can." 

Without  another  word,  Bittern  scuffled  over 
the  side,  and,  his  boat  being  brought  up,  he 
dropped  into  it. 

"  Now,  men,"  he  said,  "  I  have  a  message 
from  Captain  Blackbeard  to  the  Revenge ;  bend 
to  it  as  I  steer  that  way. ' ' 

"  Give  my  pious  regards  to  your  Sir  Night- 
cap, ' '  shouted  Blackbeard.    And  then,  in  a  still 
higher  tone,  he  yelled  to  them  that  if  they  dis- 
obeyed  their   coxswain   and   turned   their   bow 
13  185 


KATE   BONNET 

shoreward  he  would  sink  them  all  to  the  un- 
sounded depths  of  Hades.  Without  a  protest  the 
men  pulled  vigorously  towards  the  Revenge, 
w^hile  Black  Paul,  considering  it  a  new  affront 
to  be  called  i '  coxswain  ' '  when  he  was  in  reality 
captain,  earnestly  sent  Blackbeard  to  the  same 
regions  to  which  he  had  just  referred. 


186 


CHAPTER    XVII 


AN    ORNAMENTED    BEARD 


T  was  about  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon  when  a  large  boat, 
well  filled,  was  seen  approach- 
ing the  Revenge  from  Black- 
beard's  vessel.  As  soon  as  it  had  become  known 
that  this  chief  of  all  pirates  of  that  day,  this 
Edward  Thatch  of  England,  was  really  coming 
on  board  the  Revenge,  not  one  word  was  uttered 
among  the  crew  on  the  subject  of  going  ashore, 
although  they  had  been  long  at  sea.  The  shore 
could  wait  when  Blackboard  was  coming.  Even 
to  look  upon  this  doughty  desperado  would  be 
an  honour  and  a  .joy  to  the  brawny  scoundrels 
who  made  up  the  crew  of  the  Revenge. 

It  might  have  been  supposed  that  everything 
upon  Captain  Bonnet's  vessel  had  been  made 
ready  for  the  expected  advent  of  Blackbeard, 
but  nothing  seemed  good  enough,  nothing  seemed 
as  effectively  placed  and  arranged  as  it  might 
have  been ;  and  with  execrations  and  commands, 
Bonnet  hurried  here  and  there,  making  every- 

187 


KATE   BONNET 

thing,  if  possible,  more  ship-shape  than  it  had 
been  before. 

' '  Stay  you  two  in  the  background, ' '  he  said 
to  Ben  Greenway  and  Dickory ;  ' i  you  are  both 
landsmen,  and  you  don't  count  in  a  ceremony 
such  as  this  is  going  to  be.  Station  your  men  as 
I  told  you,  Bittern,  and  man  the  yards  when  it 
is  time." 

Captain  Bonnet,  in  his  brave  uniform  and 
wearing  a  cocked  hat  with  a  feather,  his  hand 
upon  his  sword-hilt,  stood  up  tall  and  stately. 
When  the  boat  was  made  fast  and  the  great  pi- 
rate's head  appeared  above  the  rail,  six  cannon 
roared  a  welcome  and  Bonnet  stepped  forward, 
hand  extended  and  hat  uplifted. 

The  instant  Blackbeard's  feet  touched  the 
deck  he  drew  from  their  holsters  a  pair  of  pis- 
tols and  fired  them  in  the  air. 

"  Xow  then,"  he  shouted,  "  we  are  even,  sa- 
lute for  salute,  for  my  pistols  are  more  than 
equal  to  the  cannon  of  any  other  man.  How 
goes  it  with  you.  Sir  Nightcap— Bonnet,  T 
mean?  "  And  with  that  he  clasped  the  hand 
reached  out  to  him  in  a  bone-crushing  grasp. 

His  fingers  aching  and  his  brain  astonished, 
Bonnet  could  not  comprehend  what  sort  of  a 
man  it  was  who  stood  before  him.  With  hair 
purposely  dishevelled:  with  his  hat  more 
slouched  than  usual :  with  his  beard  divided  into 
tails,  each  tied  with  a  different-coloured  ribbon: 
with  half  a  dozen  pistols  strung  across  his  breast ; 

188 


AN    ORNAMENTED   BEARD 

with  other  pistols  and  a  knife  or  two  stuck  into 
his  belt;  with  his  great  sword  by  his  side,  and 
his  eyes  gleaming  brighter  than  ever  and  a  gen- 
eral expression,  both  in  face  and  figure,  of  an 
aggressive  impudence,  Blackbeard  stood  on  his 
stout  legs,  clothed  in  rough  red  stockings,  and 
gazed  about  him.  But  the  captain  of  the  Re- 
venge did  not  forget  his  manners.  He  welcomed 
Blackbeard  with  all  courtesy  and  besought  him 
to  enter  his  poor  cabin. 

Blackbeard  laughed.  "  Poor  cabin,  say  you? 
But  I'll  tell  you  this  one  thing,  my  valiant  Cap- 
tain Cap ;  you  have  not  a  poor  vessel,  not  a  poor 
vessel,  I  swear  that  to  you,  my  brave  captain, 
I  swear  that!  " 

Then,  with  no  attention  to  Bonnet's  invita- 
tion, Captain  Blackbeard  strolled  about  the 
deck,  examining  everything,  cursing  this  and 
praising  that,  and  followed  by  Captain  Bon- 
net, Black  Paul,  and  a  crowd  of  admiring 
pirates. 

Ben  Greenway  bowed  his  head  and  groaned. 
"  I  doubt  if  Master  Bonnet  will  ever  go  to  the 
de'il  as  I  feared  he  would,  for  now  has  the  de'il 
come  to  him.  Oh,  Dickory,  Dickory !  this  master 
o'  mine  was  a  worthy  mon  an'  a  good  ane  when 
I  first  came  to  him,  an'  a'  that  I  hae  I  owe  to 
him,  for  I  was  in  sad  case,  Dickory,  very  sad 
case;  but  now  that  he  has  Apollyon  for  his 
teacher,  he'll  cease  to  know  righteousness  alto- 
gither. ' ' 

189 


KATE    BONNET 

Dickory  was  angry  and  out  of  spirits.  l '  He 
is  a  vile  poltroon,  this  master  of  yours,''  said 
he,  "  consorting  with  these  bloody  pirates  and 
leaving  his  daughter  to  pine  away  her  days  and 
nights  within  a  little  sail  of  him,  while  he  struts 
about  at  the  heel  of  a  dirty  freebooter  dressed 
like  a  monkey !  He  doesn't  deserve  the  daughter 
he  possesses.  Oh,  that  I  could  find  a  ship  that 
would  take  me  back  to  Jamaica!  And  I  would 
take  you  too,  Ben  Greenway,  for  it  is  a  foul 
shame  that  a  good  man  should  spend  his  days 
in  such  vile  company." 

Ben  shook  his  head.  "  I'll  stand  by  Master 
Bonnet,"  he  said,  "  until  the  day  comes  when 
I  shall  bid  him  fareweel  at  the  door  o'  hell.  I 
can  go  no  farther  than  that,  Dickory,  no  farther 
than  that!  " 

From  forecastle  to  quarter-deck,  from  bow- 
sprit to  taffrail,  Blackbeard  scrutinized  the  Re- 
venge. 

"  What  mean  you,  dog?  "  he  said  to  Bittern, 
Bonnet  being  at  a  little  distance;  "  you  tell  me 
he  is  no  mariner.  This  is  a  brave  ship  and  well 
appointed. ' ' 

"  Ay,  ay,"  said  the  sailing-master,  "  it  has 
the  neatness  of  his  kitchen  or  his  storehouses ; 
but  if  his  cables  were  coiled  on  his  yard-arms  or 
his  anchor  hung  up  to  dry  upon  the  main 
shrouds,  he  would  not  know  that  anything  was 
wrong.  It  was  Big  Sam  Loftus  who  fitted  out 
the  Revenge,  and  I  myself  have  kept  everything 

190 


AX    ORNAMENTED   BEARD 

in  good  order  and  ship-shape  ever  since  I  took 
command. ' ' 

"  Command!  "  growled  Blackbeard.  "  For 
a  charge  of  powder  I  would  knock  in  the  side 
of  your  head  for  speaking  with  such  disrespect 
of  the  brave  Sir  Nightcap." 

The  supper  in  the  cabin  of  the  Revenge  was 
a  better  meal  than  the  voracious  Blackbeard  had 
partaken  of  for  many  a  year,  if  indeed  he  had 
ever  sat  down  to  such  a  sumptuous  repast.  Be- 
fore him  was  food  and  drink  fit  for  a  stout  and 
hungry  sea-faring  man,  and  there  were  wines 
and  dainties  which  would  have  had  fit  place  upon 
the  table  of  a  gentleman. 

Blackbeard  was  in  high  spirits  and  tossed 
off  cup  after  cup  and  glass  after  glass  of  the 
choicest  wine  and  the  most  fiery  spirits.  He 
clapped  his  well-mannered  host  upon  the  back 
as  he  shouted  some  fragment  of  a  wild  sea- 
song. 

"  And  who  is  this?  "  he  cried,  as  they  rose 
from  the  table  and  he  first  caught  sight  of  Ben 
Greenway.  "  Is  this  your  chaplain?  He  looks 
as  sanctimonious  as  an  empty  rum  cask.  And 
that  baby  boy  there,  what  do  you  keep  him  for  ? 
Are  they  for  sale !  I  would  like  to  buy  the  boy 
and  let  him  keep  my  accounts.  I  warrant  he  has 
enough  arithmetic  in  his  head  to  divide  the  prize- 
monevs  among  the  men." 

"He  is  no  slave,"  said  Bonnet;  "  he  came 
to  this  vessel  to  bring  me  a  message  from  my 

191 


KATE    BONNET 

daughter,  but  he  is  an  ill-bred  stripling,  and  can 
neither  read  nor  write.' ' 

"  Then  let's  kill  him!  "  cried  Blackbeard, 
and  drawing  his  pistol  he  sent  a  bullet  about 
two  inches  above  Dickory's  head. 

At  this  the  men  who  had  gathered  themselves 
at  every  available  point  set  up  a  cheer.  Never 
before  had  they  beheld  such  a  magnificent  and 
reckless  miscreant. 

Dickory  did  not  start  or  move,  but  he  turned 
very  pale,  and  then  he  reddened  and  his  eyes 
flashed.  Blackbeard  swore  at  him  a  great  ap- 
probative  oath.  "  A  brave  boy!  "  he  cried, 
"  and  fit  to  carry  messages  if  for  nothing  else. 
And  what  is  this  nonsense  about  a  daughter  f  ' ' 
said  he  to  Bonnet.  ' '  AVe  abide  no  such  creatures 
in  the  ranks  of  the  free  companions ;  we  drown 
them  like  kittens  before  we  hoist  the  Jolly 
Roger. " 

When  Blackbeard 's  boat  left  the  ship's  side 
the  departing  chieftain  fired  his  pistols  in  the 
air  as  long  as  their  charges  lasted,  while  the 
motley  desperadoes  of  the  Revenge  gave  him 
many  a  parting  yell.  Then  all  the  boats  of  the 
Revenge  were  lowered,  and  every  man  who  could 
crowd  into  them  left  their  ship  for  the  shore. 
Black  Paul  tried  to  restrain  them,  for  he  feared 
to  leave  the  Revenge  too  weakly  manned,  she 
having  such  a  valuable  cargo ;  but  his  orders  and 
shouts  were  of  no  avail,  and  despairing  of  stop- 
ping them  the  sailing-master  went  with  them; 

192 


AN    ORNAMENTED   BEARD 

and  as  they  pulled  wildly  towards  the  town  the 
men  of  one  boat  shouted  to  another,  and  that  one 
to  another,  "  Hurrah  for  our  captain,  the  brave 
Sir  Nightcap !    Hurrah !    Hurrah !    Hurrah !  ' ' 

"  The  dirty  Satan!  "  exclaimed  Dickory,  as 
he  gazed  after  Blackbeard's  boat.  "  I  would 
kill  him  if  I  could. ' ' 

i '  Say  not  so,  Dickory, ' '  said  Captain  Bonnet, 
speaking  gravely.  "  That  great  pirate  is  not  a 
man  of  breeding,  and  he  speaks  with  disesteem 
alike  of  friend  and  enemy,  but  he  is  the  famous 
Blackbeard,  and  we  must  treat  him  with  honour 
although  he  pays  us  none. ' ' 

"  I  had  deemed,"  said  Greenway  calmly, 
' '  that  ye  were  goin '  to  be  the  maist  unholy  sin- 
ner that  ever  blackened  this  fair  earth;  but  not 
only  did  ye  tell  a  pious  lie  for  the  sake  o'  good 
Dickory,  but,  compared  wi'  that  monstrosity,  ye 
are  a  saint  graved  in  marble,  Master  Bonnet,  a 
white  and  shapely  saint." 

Blackbeard's  boat  was  not  rowed  to  his  ves- 
sel, but  his  men  pulled  steadily  shoreward. 

With  the  wild  crew  of  the* Revenge,  fresh 
from  sea  and  their  appetites  whetted  for  jovial 
riot,  and  with  Blackbeard,  his  war-paint  on, 
to  lead  them  into  every  turbulent  excess,  there 
were  wild  times  in  the  town  of  Belize  that  night. 


193 


CHAPTER    XVIII 


I  HAVE  NO  RIGHT;   I  AM  A   PIRATE 


has  been  made  plain,  Captain 
Bonnet  of  the  Revenge  was  a 
punctilious  man  when  the  rules 
of  society  were  concerned,  be  that  society  official, 
high-toned,  or  piratical.  Thus  it  was  a  positive 
duty,  in  his  mind,  to  return  Blackbeard's  visit 
on  the  next  day,  but  until  afternoon  he  was  not 
able  to  do  so  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  get- 
ting a  sober  and  decently  behaved  boat's  crew 
who  should  row  him  over. 

Black  Paul,  the  sailing-master,  had  returned 
to  his  vessel  early  in  the  morning,  feeling  the  ne- 
cessity of  keeping  watch  over  the  cargo,  but  most 
of  the  men  came  over  much  later,  while  some  of 
them  did  not  come  at  all. 

Bonnet  was  greatly  inclined  to  punish  with 
an  unwonted  severity  this  breach  of  rules,  but 
Black  Paul  assured  him  that  it  was  always  the 
custom  for  the  crew  of  a  newly  arrived  vessel 
to  go  ashore  and  have  a  good  time,  and  that  if 
they  were  denied  this  privilege  they  would  be 

194 


I   AM   A   PIRATE 

sure  to  mutiny,  and  lie  might  be  left  without  any 
crew  at  all.  Bonnet  grumbled  and  swore,  but,  as 
he  was  aware  there  were  several  things  concern- 
ing a  nautical  life  with  which  he  was  not  famil- 
iar, he  determined  to  let  pass  this  trespass. 

Dressed  in  his  finest  clothes,  and  even  better 
than  the  day  before,  he  was  followed  into  the 
boat  by  Ben  Greenway,  who  vowed  his  captain 
should  never  travel  without  his  chaplain,  who, 
if  his  words  were  considered,  would  be  the  most 
valuable  officer  on  the  vessel. 

"Come,  then,  Greenway,"  said  Bonnet; 
"  you  have  troubled  me  so  much  on  my  own 
vessel  that  now,  perchance,  you  may  be  able  to 
do  me  some  service  on  that  of  another.  Anyway, 
I  should  like  to  have  at  least  one  decent  person 
in  my  train,  who,  an  you  come  not,  will  be 
wholly  missing.  And  Dickory  may  come  too,  if 
he  like  it." 

But  Dickory  did  not  like  it.  He  hated  the 
big  black  pirate,  and  cared  not  if  he  should  never 
see  him  again,  so  he  stayed  behind. 

When  Bonnet  mounted  to  the  deck  of  Black- 
beard's  vessel  he  found  there  a  very  different 
pirate  captain  from  the  one  who  had  called  upon 
him  the  day  before.  There  were  no  tails  to  the 
great  black  beard,  there  were  few  pistols  visible, 
and  Captain  Bonnet's  host  received  him  with  a 
certain  salt-soaked,  sun-browned,  hairy,  and 
brawny  hospitality  which  did  not  sit  badly  upon 
him.    There  was  meat,  there  was  drink,  and  then 

195 


KATE   BONNET 

the  two  captains  and  Green  way  walked  gravely 
over  the  vessel,  followed  by  a  hundred  eyes,  and 
before  long  by  many  a  coarse  and  jeering  laugh 
which  Bonnet  supposed  were  directed  at  sturdy 
Ben  Greenway,  deeming  it  quite  natural,  though 
improper,  that  the  derision  of  these  rough  fel- 
lows should  be  excited  by  the  appearance 
among  them  of  a  prim  and  sedate  Scotch  Pres- 
byterian. 

But  that  crew  of  miscreants  had  all  heard  of 
the  derisive  title  which  had  been  given  to  Bon- 
net, and  now  they  saw  without  the  slightest  diffi- 
culty how  little  he  knew  of  the  various  nautical 
points  to  which  Blackbeard  continually  called 
his  attention. 

The  vessel  was  dirty,  it  was  ill-appointed; 
there  was  an  air  of  reckless  disorder  which 
showed  itself  everywhere;  but,  apart  from  his 
evident  distaste  for  dirt  and  griminess,  the 
captain  of  the  Revenge  seemed  to  be  very  well 
satisfied  with  everything  he  saw.  When  he 
passed  a  small  gun  pointed  across  the  deck,  and 
with  a  nightcap  hung  upon  a  capstan  bar  thrust 
into  its  muzzle,  there  was  such  a  great  laugh  that 
Bonnet  looked  around  to  see  what  the  imprudent 
Greenway  might  be  doing. 

Many  were  the  nautical  points  to  which 
Blackbeard  called  his  guest's  attention  and 
many  the  questions  the  grim  pirate  asked,  but  in 
almost  all  cases  of  the  kind  the  tall  gentleman 
with  the  cocked  hat  replied  that  he  generally 

196 


I   AM   A    PIRATE 

left  those  things  to  his  sailing-master,  being  so 
much  occupied  with  matters  of  more  import. 

Although  he  found  no  fault  and  made  no 
criticisms,  Bonnet  was  very  much  disgusted. 
Such  a  disorderly  vessel,  such  an  apparently 
lawless  crew,  excited  his  most  severe  mental 
strictures;  and,  although  the  great  Blackbeard 
was  to-day  a  very  well-behaved  person,  Bonnet 
could  not  understand  how  a  famous  and  success- 
ful captain  should  permit  his  vessel  and  his  crew 
to  get  into  such  an  unseamanlike  and  disgraceful 
condition.  On  board  the  Revenge,  as  his  sailing- 
master  had  remarked,  there  was  the  neatness  of 
his  kitchen  and  his  store-houses;  and,  although 
he  did  not  always  know  what  to  do  with  the 
nautical  appliances  which  surrounded  him,  he 
knew  how  to  make  them  look  in  good  order.  But 
he  made  few  remarks,  favourable  or  otherwise, 
and  held  himself  loftier  than  before,  with  an  air 
as  if  he  might  have  been  an  admiral  entire  in- 
stead of  resembling  one  only  in  clothes,  and  with 
ceremonious  and  even  condescending  politeness 
followed  his  host  wherever  he  was  led,  above 
decks  or  below. 

Ben  Greenway  had  gone  with  his  master 
about  the  ship  with  much  of  the  air  of  one  who 
accompanies  a  good  friend  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion. Regardless  of  gibes  or  insults,  whether 
they  were  directed  at  Bonnet  or  himself,  he 
turned  his  face  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the 
left,  and  apparently  regarded  nothing  that  he 

197 


KATE   BONNET 

heard.  But  while  endeavouring  to  listen  as  little 
as  possible  to  what  was  going  on  around  him,  he 
heard  a  great  deal ;  but,  strange  to  say,  the  rail- 
ing and  scurrility  of  the  pirates  did  not  appear 
to  have  a  depressing  influence  upon  his  mind. 
In  fact,  he  seemed  in  somewhat  better  spirits 
than  when  he  came  on  board. 

' '  Whatever  he  may  do,  whatever  he  may  say, 
an'  whatever  he  may  swear,"  said  the  Scotch- 
man to  himself,  "  he  is  no'  like  ane  of  these. 
Try  as  he  may,  he  canna  descend  so  low  into 
the  blackness  o'  evil  as  these  sons  o'  perdition. 
Although  he  has  done  evil  beyond  a  poor  mor- 
tal's computation,  he  walks  like  a  king  amang 
them.  Even  that  Blackbeard,  striving  to  be  de- 
cent for  an  hour  or  two,  knows  a  superior  when 
he  meets  him." 

When  they  had  finished  the  tour  of  the  vessel, 
Blackbeard  conducted  his  guest  to  his  own  cabin 
and  invited  him  to  be  seated  by  a  little  table. 
Bonnet  sat  down,  placing  his  high-plumed  cocked 
hat  upon  the  bench  beside  him.  He  did  not  want 
anything  more  to  eat  or  to  drink,  and  he  was, 
in  fact,  quite  ready  to  take  his  leave.  The  ves- 
sel had  not  pleased  him  and  had  given  him  an 
idea  of  the  true  pirate's  life  which  he  had 
never  had  before.  On  the  Revenge  he  mingled 
little  with  the  crew,  scarcely  ever  below  decks, 
and  his  own  quarters  were  as  neat  and  com- 
modious as  if  they  were  on  a  fine  vessel  carry- 
ing  distinguished   passengers.     Dirt   and   dis- 

198 


I   AM    A    PIRATE 

order,  if  they  existed,  were  at  least  not  visible 
to  kirn. 

But,  although  he  had  no  desire  ever  to  make 
another  visit  to  the  ship  of  the  great  Blackbeard, 
he  would  remember  his  position  and  be  polite 
and  considerate  now  that  he  was  here.  More- 
over, the  savage  desperado  of  the  day  before, 
dressed  like  a  monkey  and  howling  like  an  In- 
dian, seemed  now  to  be  endeavouring  to  soften 
himself  a  little  and  to  lay  aside  some  of  his  sav- 
age eccentricities  in  honour  of  the  captain  of  that 
fine  ship,  the  Revenge.  So,  clothed  in  a  calm 
dignity,  Bonnet  waited  to  hear  what  his  host  had 
further  to  say. 

Blackbeard  seated  himself  on  the  other  side 
of  the  table,  on  which  he  rested  his  massive  arms. 
Behind  him  Ben  Greenway  stood  in  the  door- 
way. For  a  few  moments  Blackbeard  sat  and 
gazed  at  Bonnet,  and  then  he  said:  "  Look  ye, 
Stede  Bonnet,  do  you  know  you  are  now  as 
much  out  of  place  as  a  red  herring  would  be  at 
the  top  of  the  mainmast  ?  ' ' 

Bonnet  flushed.  "  I  fear,  Captain  Black- 
beard, ' '  he  said,  ' '  I  very  much  fear  me  that  you 
are  right ;  this  is  no  place  for  me.  I  have  paid 
my  respects  to  you,  and  now,  if  you  please,  I  will 
take  my  leave.  I  have  not  been  gratified  by  the 
conduct  of  your  crew,  but  I  did  not  expect  that 
their  captain  would  address  me  in  such  discour- 
teous words. ' '  And  with  this  he  reached  out  his 
hand  for  his  hat. 

199 


KATE   BONNET 

Blackbeard  brought  down  his  hand  heavily 
upon  the  table. 

"  Sit  where  you  are!  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I 
have  that  to  say  to  you  which  you  shall  hear 
whether  you  like  my  vessel,  my  crew,  or  me. 
You  are  no  sailor,  Stede  Bonnet  of  Bridgetown, 
and  you  don't  belong  to  the  free  companions, 
who  are  all  good  men  and  true  and  can  sail  the 
ships  they  command.  You  are  a  defrauder  and 
a  cheat;  you  are  nothing  but  a  landsman,  a 
plough-tail  sugar-planter!  " 

At  this  insult  Bonnet  rose  to  his  feet  and  his 
hand  went  to  his  sword. 

"  Sit  down!  "  roared  Blackbeard;  "  an  you 
do  not  listen  to  me,  I'll  cut  off  this  parley  and 
your  head  together.     Sit  down,  sir." 

Bonnet  sat  down,  pale  now  and  trembling 
with  rage.  He  was  not  a  coward,  but  on  board 
this  ship  he  must  give  heed  to  the  words  of  the 
desperado  who  commanded  it. 

You  have  no  right, ' '  continued  Blackbeard, 
to  strut  about  on  the  quarter-deck  of  that  fine 
vessel,  the  Revenge;  you  have  no  right  to  hoist 
above  you  the  Jolly  Roger,  and  you  have  no 
right  to  lie  right  and  left  and  tell  people  you 
are  a  pirate.  A  pirate,  forsooth!  you  are  no 
pirate.  A  pirate  is  a  sailor,  and  you' are  no 
sailor !  You  are  no  better  than  a  blind  man  led 
by  a  dog:  if  the  dog  breaks  away  from  him  he 
is  lost,  and  if  the  sailing-masters  you  pick  up 
one  after  another  break  away  from  you,  you  are 

200 


I   AM   A   PIRATE 

lost.  It  is  a  cursed  shame,  Stede  Bonnet,  and 
it  shall  be  no  longer.  At  this  moment,  by  my 
own  right  and  for  the  sake  of  every  man  who 
sails  under  the  Jolly  Roger,  I  take  away  from 
you  the  command  of  the  Revenge." 

Now  Bonnet  could  not  refrain  from  springing 
to  his  feet.  "  Take  from  me  the  Revenge!  "  he 
cried,  "  my  own  vessel,  bought  with  my  own 
money!  And  how  say  you  I  am  not  a  pirate! 
From  Massachusetts  down  the  coast  into  these 
very  waters  I  have  preyed  upon  commerce,  I 
have  taken  prizes,  I  have  burned  ships,  I  have 
made  my  name  a  terror." 

Now  his  voice  grew  stronger  and  his  tones 
more  angry. 

"  Not  a  pirate!  "  he  cried.  "  Go  ask  the 
galleons  and  the  merchantmen  I  have  stripped 
and  burned;  go  ask  their  crews,  now  wander- 
ing in  misery  upon  desert  shores,  if  they  be  not 
already  dead.  And  by  what  right,  I  ask,  do 
you  come  to  such  an  one  as  I  am  and  declare 
that,  having  put  me  in  the  position  of  a 
prisoner  on  your  ship,  you  will  take  away  my 
own?  " 

Blackbeard  gazed  at  him  with  half-closed 
eyes,  a  malicious  smile  upon  his  face. 

' <  I  have  no  right, ' '  he  said ;  "I  need  no 
right;  I  am  a  pirate!  " 

At  these  words  Bonnet's  legs  weakened  under 
him,  and  he  sank  down  upon  the  bench.    As  he 
did  so  he  glanced  at  Ben  Greenway  as  if  he  were 
14  201 


KATE   BONNET 

the  only  person  on  earth  to  whom  he  could  look 
for  help,  but  to  his  amazement  he  saw  before 
him  a  face  almost  jubilant,  and  beheld  the 
Scotchman,  his  eyes  uplifted  and  his  hands 
clasped  as  if  in  thankful  prayer. 


202 


CHAPTER   XIX 


THE    NEW    FIRST    LIEUTENANT 


HEX  the  boat  of  the  Revenge 
was  pulled  back  to  that  vessel 
Bonnet  did  not  go  in  it;  it 
was  Blaekbeard  who  sat  in  the  stern  and  held 
the  tiller,  while  one  of  his  own  men  sat  by  hirn. 
\Yhen  Blaekbeard  stepped  on  deck  he  an- 
nounced, much  to  the  delight  of  the  crew  and 
the  consternation  of  Paul  Bittern,  that  the  Re- 
venge now  belonged  to  him,  and  that  all  the 
crew  who  were  fit  to  be  kept  on  board  such  a 
fine  vessel  would  be  retained,  and  that  he  him- 
self, for  the  present  at  least,  would  take  com- 
mand of  the  ship,  would  haul  down  that  brand- 
new  bit  of  woman's  work  at  the  masthead  and 
fly  in  its  place  his  own  black,  ragged  Jolly  Roger, 
dreaded  wherever  seen  upon  the  sea.  At  this 
a  shout  went  up  from  the  crew;  the  heart  of 
every  scoundrel  among  them  swelled  with  joy  at 
the  idea  of  sailing,  fighting,  and  pillaging  under 
the  bloody  Blaekbeard. 

But  the  sailing-master  stood  aghast.    He  had 

203 


KATE   BONNET 

known  very  well  what  was  going  to  happen ;  he 
had  talked  it  all  over  in  the  town  with  Black- 
beard  ;  he  had  drunk  in  fiery  brandy  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  scheme,  and  he  had  believed  without 
a  doubt  that  he  was  to  command  the  Revenge 
when  Bonnet  should  be  deposed.  And  now 
where  was  he  !    Where  did  he  stand  ! 

Trembling  a  little,  he  approached  Blackbeard. 
' '  And  as  for  me, ' '  he  asked ; ' '  am  I  to  command 
your  old  vessel!  " 

1 '  You !  ' '  roared  Blackbeard,  making  as  if  he 
would  jump  upon  him ;  i '  you !  You  may  fall  to 
and  bend  your  back  with  the  others  in  the  fore- 
castle, or  you  can  jump  overboard  if  you  like. 
My  quarter-master,  Richards,  now  commands  my 
old  vessel.  Presently  I  shall  go  over  and  settle 
things  on  that  bark,  but  first  I  shall  step  down 
into  the  cabin  and  see  what  rare  good  things  Sir 
Nightcap,  the  sugar-planter,  has  prepared  for 
me. ' ' 

With  this  he  went  below,  followed  by  the  man 
he  had  brought  with  him. 

It  was  Dickory,  half  dazed  by  what  he  had 
heard,  who  now  stepped  up  to  Paul  Bittern.  The 
latter,  his  countenance  blacker  than  it  had  ever 
been  before,  first  scowled  at  him,  but  in  a  mo- 
ment the  ferocity  left  his  glance. 

'  i  Oho !  "he  said,  ' '  here 's  a  pretty  pickle  for 
me  and  you,  as  well  as  for  Bonnet  and  the  Scotch- 
man! " 

"  Do    you    suppose,"    exclaimed    Dickory, 

204 


THE    NEW    FIRST    LIEUTENANT 

"  that  what  he  says  is  true?  That  he  has 
stolen  this  ship  from  Captain  Bonnet,  and  that 
he  has  taken  it  for  his  own-  " 

• '  Suppose !  ' '  sneered  the  other,  ' '  I  know  it. 
He  has  stolen  from  me  as  well  as  from  Bonnet. 
I  should  have  commanded  this  ship,  and  I  had 
made  all  my  plans  to  do  it  when  I  got  here. ' ' 

' '  Then  you  are  as  great  a  rascal, ' '  said  Dick- 
ory,  ' k  as  that  vile  pirate  down  below. ' ' 

"  Just  as  great,"  said  Bittern,  iL  the  only  dif- 
ference being  that  he  has  won  everything  while 
I  have  lost  everything." 

"  What  are  we  to  do?  "  asked  Dickory.  "  I 
cannot  stay  here,  and  I  am  sure  you  will  not 
want  to.  Now,  while  he  is  below,  can  we  not 
slip  overboard  and  swim  ashore?  I  am  sure  I 
could  do  it." 

Black  Paul  grinned  grimly.  "  But  where 
should  we  swim  to?  "  he  said.  "  On  the  coast 
of  Honduras  there  is  no  safety  for  a  man  who 
flees  from  Blackboard.  But  keep  your  tongue 
close ;  he  is  coming. ' ' 

The  moment  Blackbeard  put  his  foot  upon 
the  deck  he  began  to  roar  out  his  general  orders. 

"  I  go  over  to  the  bark."  he  said,  "  and  shall 
put  my  mate  here  in  charge  of  her.  After  that 
I  go  to  my  own  vessel,  and  when  I  have  settled 
matters  there  I  will  return  to  this  fine  ship,  where 
I  shall  strut  about  the  quarter-deck  and  live  like 
a  prince  at  sea.     Now  look  ye,  youngster,  what 


is  vour  name?  " 


2<»5 


KATE    BONNET 

"  Charter,"  replied  Dickory  grimly. 

"  Well  then,  Charter,"  the  pirate  continued, 
' '  I  shall  leave  you  in  charge  of  this  vessel  until 
I  come  back,  which  will  be  before  dark." 

"  Me!  "  exclaimed  Dickory  in  amazement. 

"  Yes,  you,"  said  the  pirate.  "  I  am  sure 
you  don't  know  anything  about  a  ship  any  more 
than  your  master  did,  but  he  got  on  very  well, 
and  so  may  you.  And  now,  remember,  your  head 
shall  pay  for  it  if  everything  is  not  the  same 
when  I  come  back  as  it  is  now. ' ' 

Thereupon  this  man  of  piratical  business  was 
rowed  to  the  bark,  quite  satisfied  that  he  left 
behind  him  no  one  who  would  have  the  power 
to  tamper  with  his  interests.  He  knew  the  crew, 
having  bound  most  of  them  to  him  on  the  preced- 
ing night,  and  he  trusted  every  one  of  them  to 
obey  the  man  he  had  set  over  them  and  no  other. 
.As  Dickory  would  have  no  orders  to  give,  there 
wo  aid  be  no  need  of  obedience,  and  Black  Paul 
would  have  no  chance  to  interfere  with  anything. 

When  Bonnet  had  been  left  by  Blackbeard— 
who,  having  said  all  he  had  to  say,  hurried  up 
the  companion-way  to  attend  to  the  rest  of  his 
plans— the  stately  naval  officer  who  had  so  re- 
cently occupied  the  bench  by  the  table  shrunk 
into  a  frightened  farmer,  gazing  blankly  at  Ben 
Greenway. 

"  Think  you,  Ben,"  he  said  in  half  a  voice, 
"  that  this  is  one  of  that  man's  jokes?    I  have 

206 


THE    NEW    FIRST    LIEUTENANT 

heard  that  he  has  a  fearful  taste  for  horrid 
jokes." 

The  Scotchman  shook  his  head.  "  Joke! 
Master  Bonnet,"  he  exclaimed,  "it  is  no  joke. 
He  has  ta'en  your  ship  from  ye;  he  has  ta'en 
from  ye  your  sword,  your  pistols,  an '  your  wick- 
ed black  flag,  an'  he  has  made  evil  impossible  to 
ye.  He  has  ta'en  from  ye  the  shame  an1  the 
wretched  wickedness  o'  bein'  a  pirate.  Think  o' 
that,  Master  Bonnet,  ye  are  no  longer  a  pirate. 
That  most  devilish  o'  all  demons  has  presarved 
the  rest  o'  your  life  from  the  dishonour  an'  the 
infamy  which  ye  were  labourin'  to  heap  upon  it. 
Ye  are  a  poor  mon  now,  Master  Bonnet;  that 
Beelzebub  will  strip  from  ye  everything  ye  had, 
all  your  riches  shall  be  his.  Ye  can  no  longer 
afford  to  be  a  pirate;  ye  will  be  compelled  to 
be  an  honest  mon.  An1  I  tell  ye  that  my  soul 
lifteth  itsel'  in  thanksgivin'  an'  my  heart  is  hap- 
pier than  it  has  been  since  that  fearsome  day 
when  ye  went  on  board  your  vessel  at  Bridge- 
town. ' ' 

"  Ben,"  said  Bonnet,  "  it  is  hard  and  it  is 
cruel,  that  in  this,  the  time  of  my  great  trouble, 
you  turn  upon  me.  I  have  been  robbed;  I  have 
been  ruined;  my  life  is  of  no  more  use  to  me, 
and  you,  Ben  Greenway,  revile  me  while  that  I 
am  prostrate." 

"  Revile!  "  said  the  Scotchman.  "  I  glory, 
I  rejoice!  Ye  hae  been  converted,  ye  hae  been 
changed,  ye  hae  been  snatched  from  the  jaws  o' 

207 


KATE    BONNET 

hell.  Moreover,  Master  Bonnet,  my  soul  was  re- 
joiced even  before  that  master  de'il  came  to  set 
ye  free  from  your  toils.  To  look  upon  ye  an' 
see  that,  although  ye  called  yourseP  a  pirate, 
ye  were  no  like  ane  o'  these  black-hearted  cut- 
throats. Ye  were  never  as  wicked,  Master  Bon- 
net, as  ye  said  ye  were!  " 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  groaned  Bonnet;  "  I 
tell  you,  Ben  Greenway,  you  are  mistaken ;  I  am 
just  as  wicked  as  I  ever  was.  And  I  was  very 
wicked,  as  you  should  admit,  knowing  what  I 
have  done.  Oh,  Ben,  Ben!  Is  it  true  that  I 
shall  never  go  on  board  my  good  ship  again  \  ' ' 

And  with  this  he  spread  his  arms  upon  the 
table  and  laid  his  head  upon  them.  He  felt  as 
if  his  career  was  ended  and  his  heart  broken. 
Ben  Greenway  said  no  more  to  comfort  him,  but 
at  that  moment  he  himself  was  the  happiest  man 
on  the  Caribbean  Sea.  He  seated  himself  in  the 
little  dirty  cabin,  and  his  soul  saw  visions.  He 
saw  his  master,  deprived  of  all  his  belongings, 
and  with  them  of  every  taint  of  piracy,  and  put 
on  shore,  accompanied,  of  course,  by  his  faithful 
servant.  He  saw  a  ship  sail,  perhaps  soon,  per- 
haps later,  for  Jamaica;  he  saw  the  blithe  Mis- 
tress Kate,  her  soul  no  longer  sorrowing  for  an 
erring  father,  come  on  board  that  vessel  and  sail 
with  him  for  good  old  Bridgetown.  He  saw 
everything  explained,  everything  forgotten.  He 
saw  before  the  dear  old  family  a  life  of  happiness 
—perhaps  he  saw  the  funeral  of  Madam  Bonnet 

208 


THE    NEW   FIRST    LIEUTENANT 

—and,  better  than  all,  he  saw  the  pirate  dead,  the 
good  man  revived  again. 

To  be  sure,  he  did  not  see  Dickory  Charter 
returning  to  his  old  home  with  his  mother,  for 
he  could  not  know  what  Blaekbeard  was  going 
to  do  with  that  young  fellow;  but  as  Dickory 
had  thought  of  him  when  he  had  escaped  with 
Kate  from  the  Revenge,  so  thought  he  now  of 
Dickory.  There  were  so  many  other  important 
things  which  bore  upon  the  situation  that  he  was 
not  able  even  to  consider  the  young  fellow. 

It  did  not  take  very  long  for  a  man  of  prac- 
tical devilishness,  such  as  Blaekbeard  was,  to 
finish  the  business  which  had  called  him  away, 
and  he  soon  reappeared  in  the  cabin. 

"  Ho  there!  good  Sir  Xightcap— an  I  may 
freely  call  you  that  since  now  I  own  you,  uni- 
form, cocked  hat.  title,  and  everything  else— 
don't  cry  yourself  to  sleep  like  a  baby  when  its 
toys  are  taken  away  from  it.  but  wake  up.  I 
have  a  bit  of  liking  for  you,  and  I  believe  that 
that  is  because  you  are  clean.  Xot  having  that 
virtue  myself,  I  admire  it  the  more  in  others, 
and  I  thank  you  from  my  inmost  soul— wherever 
that  may  be— for  having  provided  such  comely 
quarters  and  such  fair  accommodations  for  me 
while  I  shall  please  to  sail  the  Revenge.  But  I 
shall  not  condemn  you  to  idleness  and  cankering 
thoughts,  my  bold  blusterer,  my  terror  of  the 
sea,  my  harrier  of  the  coast,  my  flaunter  of  the 
Jollv  Roger  washed  clean  in  the  tub  with  soap ; 

209 


KATE   BONNET 

I  shall  give  you  work  to  do  which  shall  better 
suit  you  than  the  troublesome  trade  you've  been 
trying  to  learn.  You  write  well  and  read,  I  know 
that,  my  good  Sir  Nightcap ;  and,  moreover,  you 
are  a  fair  hand  at  figures.  I  have  great  work 
before  me  in  landing  and  selling  the  fine  cargoes 
you  have  brought  me,  and  in  counting  and  di- 
viding the  treasure  you  have  locked  in  your  iron- 
bound  chests.  And  you  shall  attend  to  all  that, 
my  reformed  cutthroat,  my  regenerated  sea- 
robber.  You  shall  have  a  room  of  your  own, 
where  you  can  take  off  that  brave  uniform  and 
where  you  can  do  your  work  and  keep  your 
accounts  and  so  shall  be  happier  than  you  ever 
were  before,  feeling  that  you  are  in  your  right 
place. " 

To  all  this  Stede  Bonnet  did  not  answer  a 
word ;  he  did  not  even  raise  his  head. 

"  And  now  for  you,  my  chaplain,"  said 
Blackbeard,  suddenly  turning  toward  Ben  Green- 
way,  "  what  would  you  like?  Would  it  suit  you 
better  to  go  overboard  or  to  conduct  prayers  for 
my  pious  crew  ?  ' ' 

"  I  would  stay  wi'  my  master,"  said  the 
Scotchman  quietly. 

The  pirate  looked  steadily  at  Greenway. 
' '  Oho !  ' '  said  he, ' '  you  are  a  sturdy  fellow,  and 
have  a  mind  to  speak  from.  Being  so  stiff  your- 
self, you  may  be  able  to  stiffen  a  little  this  rag 
of  a  master  of  yours  and  help  him  to  understand 
the  work  he  has  to  do,  which  he  will  bravely  do, 

210 


THE    NEW    FIRST    LIEUTENANT 

I  ween,  when  he  finds  that  to  be  my  clerk  is  his 
career.  Ha !  ha !  Sir  Xightcap,  the  pirate  of 
the  pen  and  ink !  ' ' 

Deeply  sunk  these  words  into  Stede  Bonnet's 
heart,  but  he  made  no  sign. 

When  Blackbeard  went  back  to  the  Revenge 
he  took  with  him  ail  of  his  own  effects  which  he 
cared  for,  and  he  also  took  the  ex-pirate's  uni- 
form, cocked  hat,  and  sword.  ' '  I  may  have  use 
for  them,"  he  said,  "  and  my  clerk  can  wear 
common  clothes  like  common  people." 

When  her  new  commander  reached  the  Re- 
venge, Dickory  immediately  approached  him  and 
earnestly  besought  him  that  he  might  be  sent  to 
join  Captain  Bonnet  and  Ben  Greenway.  "  They 
are  my  friends, ' '  said  Dickory,  ' '  and  I  have  none 
here,  and  I  have  brought  a  message  to  Captain 
Bonnet  from  his  daughter,  and  it  is  urgently 
necessary  that  I  return  with  one  from  him  to  her. 
I  must  instantly  endeavour  to  find  a  ship  which 
is  bound  for  Jamaica  and  sail  upon  her.  I  have 
nothing  to  do  with  this  ship,  having  come  on 
board  of  her  simply  to  carry  my  message,  and  it 
behooves  me  that  I  return  quickly  to  those  who 
sent  me,  else  injury  may  come  of  it." 

"  I  like  your  speech,  my  boy,  I  like  your 
speech !  ' '  cried  Blackbeard,  and  he  roared  out 
a  big  laugh.  "  '  Urgently  necessary  '  you  must 
do  this,  you  must  do  that.  It  is  so  long  since 
I  have  heard  such  words  that  they  come  to  me 
like  wine  from  a  cool  vault." 

211 


KATE    BONNET 

At  this  Diekory  flushed  hot,  but  he  shut  his 
mouth. 

' '  You  are  a  brave  fellow, ' '  cried  Blackbeard, 
1  '  and  above  the  common,  you  are  above  the  com- 
mon. There  is  that  in  your  eye  that  could  never 
be  seen  in  the  eye  of  a  sugar-planter.  You  will 
make  a  good  pirate. " 

' '  Pirate !  ' '  cried  Diekory,  losing  all  sense  of 
prudence.  "  I  would  sooner  be  a  wild  beast  in 
the  forest  than  to  be  a  pirate !  ' ' 

Blackbeard  laughed  loudly.  u  A  good  fel- 
low, a  brave  fellow !  ' '  he  cried.  ' '  No  man  who 
has  not  the  soul  of  a  pirate  within  him  could 
stand  on  his  legs  and  speak  those  words  to  me. 
Sail  to  Jamaica  to  carry  messages  to  girls? 
Never!  You  shall  stay  with  me,  you  shall  be  a 
pirate.  You  shall  be  the  head  of  all  the  pirates 
when  I  give  up  the  business  and  take  to  sugar- 
planting.  Ha !  ha !  When  I  take  to  sugar-plant- 
ing and  merrily  make  my  own  good  rum !  ' ' 

Diekory  was  dismayed.  "  But,  Captain 
Blackbeard, ' '  he  said,  with  more  deference  than 
before,  ' '  I  cannot. ' ' 

' '  Cannot !  ' '  shouted  the  pirate,  ' '  you  lie, 
you  can.  Say  not  cannot  to  me ;  you  can  do  any- 
thing I  tell  you,  and  do  it  you  shall.  And  now 
I  am  going  to  put  you  in  your  place,  and  see  that 
you  hold  it  and  fill  it.  An  if  you  please  me  not, 
you  carry  no  more  messages  in  this  world,  nor 
receive  them.  Charter,  I  now  make  you  the  first 
officer  of  the  Revenge  under  me.     You  cannot 

212 


THE    NEW    FIRST    LIEUTENANT 

be  mate  because  you  know  nothing  of  sailing  a 
ship,  and  besides  no  mate  nor  any  quarter-master 
is  worthy  to  array  himself  as  I  shall  array  you. 
I  make  you  first  lieutenant,  and  you  shall  wear 
the  uniform  and  the  cocked  hat  which  Sir  Night- 
cap hath  no  further  use  for." 

With  that  he  went  forward  to  speak  to  some 
of  the  men,  leaYing  Dickory  standing  speechless, 
with  the  expression  of  an  infuriated  idiot.  Black 
Paul  stepped  up  to  him. 

1  i  How  now,  youngster, ' '  said  the  ex-sailing- 
master,  "  first  officer,  eh?  If  you  look  sharp, 
you  may  find  yourself  in  fine  feather." 

"  Xo,  I  will  not,"  answered  Dickory.  "  I 
will  haYe  nothing  to  do  with  this  black  pirate; 
I  will  not  serve  under  him,  I  will  not  take  charge 
of  anything  for  him.  I  am  ashamed  to  talk  with 
him,  to  be  on  the  same  ship  with  him.  I  serve 
good  people,  the  best  and  noblest  in  the  world, 
and  I  will  not  enter  any  service  under  him. ' ' 

"  Hold  ye,  hold  ye !  "  said  Black  Paul,  "  you 
will  not  serve  the  good  people  you  speak  of  by 
going  overboard  with  a  bullet  in  your  head; 
think  of  that,  youngster.  It  is  a  poor  way  of 
helping  your  friends  by  quitting  the  world  and 
leaving  them  in  the  lurch." 

At  this  moment  Blackbeard  returned,  and 
when  he  saw  Bittern  he  roared  at  him :  ' '  Out  of 
that,  you  sea-cat,  and  if  I  see  you  again  speak- 
ing to  my  lieutenant,  I  '11  slash  your  ears  for  you. 
In  the  next  boat  which  leaves  this  shij3  I  shall 

213 


KATE   BOXXET 

send  you  to  one  of  the  others;  I  will  have  no 
sneaking  schemer  on  board  the  Revenge.  Get 
ye  for 'ad,  get  ye  for 'ad,  or  I  shall  help  ye  with 
my  cutlass !  ' ' 

And  the  man  who  had  safely  brought  two 
good  ships,  richly  laden,  into  the  harbour  of 
Belize,  and  who  had  given  Blackbeard  the  in- 
formation which  made  him  understand  the 
character  of  Captain  Bonnet  and  how  easy  it 
would  be  to  take  possession  of  his  person  and 
his  vessels,  and  who  had  done  everything  in  his 
power  to  enable  the  black-hearted  pirate  to  se- 
cure to  himself  Bonnet's  property  and  crews, 
and  who  had  only  asked  in  return  an  actual  com- 
mand where  before  he  had  commanded  in  fact 
though  not  in  name,  fled  away  from  the  false 
confederate  to  whom  he  had  just  given  wealth 
and  increased  prestige. 

The  last  words  of  the  unfortunate  Bittern 
sunk  quickly  and  deeply  into  the  heart  of  Dick- 
ory.  If  he  should  really  go  overboard  with  a 
bullet  in  his  brain,  farewell  to  Kate  Bonnet,  fare- 
well to  his  mother!  He  was  yet  a  very  young 
man,  and  it  had  been  but  a  little  while  since  he 
had  been  wandering  barefooted  over  the  ships 
at  Bridgetown,  selling  the  fruit  of  his  mother's 
little  farm.  Since  that  he  had  loved  and  lived 
so  long  that  he  could  not  calculate  the  period, 
and  now  he  was  a  man  and  stood  trembling  at 
the  point  where  he  was  to  decide  to  begin  life 
as  a  pirate  or  end  everything.     Before  Black- 

214 


THE    NEW    FIRST   LIEUTENANT 

beard  had  turned  his  lowering  visage  from  his 
retreating  benefactor,  Dickory  had  decided  that, 
whatever  might  happen,  he  would  not  of  his  own 
free-will  leave  life  and  fair  Kate  Bonnet. 

"  And  so  you  are  to  be  my  first  lieutenant, " 
said  Blackbeard,  his  face  relaxing.  "  I  am  glad 
of  that.  There  was  nothing  needed  on  this  ship 
but  a  decent  man.  I  have  put  one  on  my  old 
vessel,  and  if  there  were  another  to  be  found  in 
the  Gulf  of  Honduras,  I'd  clap  him  on  that  good- 
ly bark.  Now,  sir,  down  to  your  berth,  and  don 
your  naval  finery.  You're  always  to  wear  it; 
you  're  not  fit  to  wear  the  clothes  of  a  real  sailor, 
and  I  have  no  landsman's  toggery  on  this  ship." 

Dickory  bowed— he  could  not  speak— and 
went  below.  When  next  he  appeared  on  deck 
he  wore  the  ex-Captain  Bonnet's  uniform  and 
the  tall  plumed  hat. 

"It  is  for  Kate's  sweet  sake,"  he  said  to 
himself  as  he  mounted  the  companion-way ;  ' '  for 
her  sake  I'd  wear  anything,  I'd  do  anything,  if 
only  I  may  see  her  again. ' ' 

When  the  new  first  lieutenant  showed  himself 
upon  the  quarter-deck  there  was  a  general  howl 
from  the  crew,  and  peal  after  peal  of  derisive 
laughter  rent  the  air. 

Then  Blackbeard  stepped  quietly  forward 
and  ordered  eight  of  the  jeerers  to  be  strung  up 
and  flogged. 

"  I  would  like  you  all  to  remember,"  said 
the  master  pirate,  ' '  that  when  I  appoint  an  offi- 

215 


KATE   BONNET 

cer  on  this  ship,  there  is  to  be  no  sneering  at  him 
nor  any  want  of  respect,  and  it  strikes  me  that 
I  shall  not  have  to  say  anything  more  on  the  sub- 
ject—to this  precious  crew,  at  any  rate." 

The  next  day  lively  times  began  on  board  the 
two  rich  prizes  which  the  pirate  Blackboard  had 
lately  taken.  There  had  been  scarcely  more  hard 
work  and  excitement,  cursing  and  swearing  when 
the  rich  freight  had  been  taken  from  the  mer- 
chantmen which  had  originally  carried  it.  Poor 
Bonnet's  pen  worked  hard  at  lists  and  calcula- 
tions, for  Blackbeard  was  a  practical  man,  and 
not  disposed  to  loose  and  liberal  dealings  with 
either  his  men  or  the  tradefolk  ashore. 

At  times  the  troubled  and  harassed  mind  of 
the  former  captain  of  the  Revenge  would  have 
given  way  under  the  strain  had  not  Ben  Green- 
way  stayed  bravely  by  him;  who,  although  a 
slow  accountant,  was  sure,  and  a  great  help  to 
one  who,  in  these  times  of  hurry  and  flurry,  was 
extremely  rapid  and  equally  uncertain.  Black- 
beard  was  everywhere,  anxious  to  complete  the 
unloading  and  disposal  of  his  goods  before  the 
weather  changed ;  but,  wherever  he  went,  he  re- 
membered that  upon  the  quarter-deck  of  his  fine 
new  ship,  the  Revenge,  there  was  one  who,  know- 
ing nothing  of  nautical  matters,  was  above  all 
suspicion  of  nautical  interferences,  and  who, 
although  having  no  authority,  represented  the 
most  powerful  nautical  commander  in  all  those 
seas. 

216 


CHAPTER   XX 


ONE   NORTH,   ONE  SOUTH 


F  our  dear  Kate  Bonnet  had 
really  imagined,  in  her  inex- 
perienced mind,  that  it  would 
be  a  matter  of  days,  and  perhaps  weeks,  to  pro- 
cure a  vessel  in  which  she,  with  her  uncle  and 
good  Dame  Charter,  could  sail  forth  to  save  her 
father,  she  was  wonderfully  mistaken.  Not  a 
free-footed  vessel  of  any  class  came  into  the  har- 
bour of  Kingston.  Sloops  and  barks  and  ships 
in  general  arrived  and  departed,  but  they  were 
all  bound  by  one  contract  or  another,  and  were 
not  free  to  sail  away,  here  and  there,  for  a  short 
time  or  a  long  time,  at  the  word  of  a  maiden's 
will. 

Mr.  Delaplaine  was  a  rich  man,  but  he  was  a 
prudent  one,  and  he  had  not  the  money  to  waste 
in  wild  rewards,  even  if  there  had  been  an  oppor- 
tunity for  him  to  offer  them.  Kate  was  discon- 
certed, disappointed,  and  greatly  cast  down. 

The  vengeful  Badger  was  scouring  the  seas 
15  217 


KATE   BONNET 

in  search  of  her  father,  commissioned  to  destroy 
him,  and  eager  in  his  hot  passion  to  do  it;  and 
here  was  she,  with  a  respite  for  that  father,  if 
only  she  were  able  to  carry  it. 

Day  after  day  Kate  waited  for  notice  of  a 
craft,  not  only  one  which  might  bring  Dickory 
back  but  one  which  might  carry  her  away. 

The  optimism  of  Dame  Charter  would  not 
now  bear  her  up,  the  load  which  had  been  put 
upon  it  was  too  big.  Everything  about  her  was 
melancholy  and  depressed,  and  Dickory  had  not 
come  back.  So  many  things  had  happened  since 
he  went  away,  and  so  many  days  had  passed, 
and  she  had  entirely  exhausted  her  plentiful 
stock  of  very  good  reasons  why  her  son  had  not 
been  able  to  return  to  her. 

The  Governor  was  very  kind;  frequently  he 
came  to  the  Delaplaine  mansion,  and  always  he 
brought  assurances  that,  although  he  had  not 
heard  anything  from  Captain  Vince,  there  was 
every  reason  to  suppose  that  before  long  he 
would  find  some  way  to  send  him  his  commands 
that  Captain  Bonnet  should  not  be  injured,  but 
should  be  brought  back  safely  to  Jamaica. 

And  then  Kate  would  sa;^,  with  tears  in  her 
eyes:  "  But,  your  Excellency,  we  cannot  wait 
for  that ;  we  must  go,  we  must  deliver  ourselves 
your  message  to  the  captain  of  the  Badger.  Who 
else  will  do  it?  And  we  cannot  trust  to  chance; 
while  we  are  trusting  and  hoping,  my  father  may 
die." 

218 


ONE   NORTH,    ONE    SOUTH 

At  such  moments  Mr.  Delaplaine  would  some- 
times say  in  his  heart,  not  daring  to  breathe  such 
thoughts  aloud,  ' '  And  what  could  be  better  than 
that  he  should  die  and  be  done  with  it?  He  is 
a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  young,  the  good,  and 
the  beautiful,  and  as  long  as  he  lives  that  thorn 
will  rankle. ' ' 

Moreover,  not  only  did  the  good  merchant 
harbour  such  a  wicked  thought,  but  Dame  Char- 
ter thought  something  of  the  very  same  kind, 
though  differently  expressed.  If  he  had  never 
been  born,  she  would  say  to  herself,  how  much 
better  it  would  have  been ;  but  then  the  thought 
would  come  crowding  in,  how  bad  that  would 
have  been  for  Dickory  and  for  the  plans  she  was 
making  for  him. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  uncertainty,  this  anx- 
iety, this  foreboding,  almost  this  despair,  there 
came  a  sunburst  which  lighted  up  the  souls  of 
these  three  good  people,  which  made  their  eyes 
sparkle  and  their  hearts  swell  with  thankfulness. 
This  happiness  came  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  from 
Martin  Newcombe. 

The  letter  was  a  long  one  and  told  many 
things.  The  first  part  of  it  Kate  read  to  herself 
and  kept  to  herself,  for  in  burning  words  it  as- 
sured her  that  he  loved  her  and  would  always 
love  her,  and  that  no  misfortune  of  her  own  nor 
wrongdoings  of  others  could  prevent  him  from 
offering  her  his  most  ardent  and  unchangeable 
affection.     Moreover,  he  begged  and  implored 

219 


KATE   BONNET 

her  to  accept  that  affection,  to  accept  it  now  that 
it  might  belong  to  her  forever.  Happiness,  he 
said,  seemed  opening  before  her;  he  implored 
her  to  allow  him  to  share  that  happiness  with 
her.  The  rest  of  the  letter  was  read  most  jubi- 
lantly aloud.  It  told  of  news  which  had  come 
to  Xewcombe  from  Honduras  Gulf :  great  news, 
wonderful  news,  which  would  make  the  heart 
sing.  Major  Bonnet  was  at  Belize.  He  had 
given  up  all  connection  with  piracy  and  was  now 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  This  was  posi- 
tively true,  for  the  person  who  had  sent  the  news 
to  Bridgetown  had  seen  Major  Bonnet  and  had 
talked  to  him,  and  had  been  informed  by  him 
that  he  had  given  up  his  ship  and  was  now  an 
accountant  and  commission  agent  doing  business 
at  that  place. 

The  sender  of  this  great  news  also  stated 
that  Ben  Greenway  was  with  Major  Bonnet, 
working  as  his  assistant— and  here  Dame  Char- 
ter sat  open-mouthed  and  her  heart  nearly 
stopped  beating— young  Dickory  Charter  had 
also  been  in  the  port  and  had  gone  away,  but 
was  expected  ere  long  to  return. 

Kate  stood  on  her  tip-toes  and  waved  the  let- 
ter over  her  head. 

"  To  Belize,  my  dear  uncle,  to  Belize!  If 
we  cannot  get  there  any  other  way  we  must  go 
in  a  boat  with  oars.  We  must  fly,  we  must  not 
wait.  Perhaps  he  is  seeking  in  disguise  to  es- 
cape the  vengeance  of  the  wicked  Vince ;  but  that 

220 


ONE    NORTH,    OXE    SOUTH 

matters  not ;  we  know  where  he  is ;  we  must  fly, 
uncle,  we  must  fly!  " 

The  opportunities  for  figurative  flying  were 
not  wanting.  There  were  no  vessels  in  the  port 
which  might  be  engaged  for  an  indeterminate 
voyage  in  pursuit  of  a  British  man-of-war,  but 
there  was  a  goodly  sloop  about  to  sail  in  ballast 
for  Belize.  Before  sunset  three  passages  were 
engaged  upon  this  sloop. 

Kate  sat  long  into  the  night,  her  letter  in  her 
hand.  Here  was  a  lover  who  loved  her ;  a  lover 
who  had  just  sent  to  her  not  only  love,  but  life; 
a  lover  who  had  no  intention  of  leaving  her  be- 
cause of  her  overshadowing  sorrow,  but  who  had 
lifted  that  sorrow  and  had  come  to  her  again. 
Ay  more,  she  knew  that  if  the  sorrow  had  not 
been  lifted  he  would  have  come  to  her  again. 

The  Governor  of  Jamaica  was  a  man  of 
hearty  sympathies,  and  these  worked  so  strongly 
in  him  that  when  Kate  and  her  uncle  came  to 
bring  him  the  good  news,  he  kissed  her  and 
vowed  that  he  had  not  heard  anything  so  cheer- 
ing for  many  a  year. 

"  I  have  been  greatly  afraid  of  that  Vince," 
he  said.  ' '  Although  I  did  not  mention  it,  I  have 
been  greatly  afraid  of  him  ;  he  is  a  terrible  fellow 
when  he  is  crossed,  and  so  hot-headed  that  it  is 
easy  to  cross  him.  There  were  so  many  chances 
of  his  catching  your  father  and  so  few  chances  of 
my  orders  catching  him.  But  it  is  all  right  now ; 
vou  will  be  able  to  reach  your  father  before 

221 


KATE   BONNET 

Vince  can  possibly  get  to  him,  even  should  he 
be  able  to  do  him  injury  in  his  present  posi- 
tion. Your  father,  my  dear,  must  have  been  as 
mad  as  a  March  hare  to  embark  upon  a  career 
of  a  pirate  when  all  the  time  his  heart  was  really 
turned  to  ways  of  peace,  to  planting,  to  mercan- 
tile pursuits,  to  domestic  joys." 

Here,  now,  was  to  be  a  voyage  of  conquest. 
Xo  matter  what  his  plans  were ;  no  matter  what 
he  said;  no  matter  what  he  might  lose,  or  how 
he  might  suffer  by  being  taken  into  captivity 
and  being  carried  away,  Major  Stede  Bonnet, 
late  of  Bridgetown  and  still  later  connected  with 
some  erratic  voyages  upon  the  high  seas,  was  to 
be  taken  prisoner  by  his  daughter  and  carried 
away  to  Spanish  Town,  where  the  actions  of  his 
disordered  mind  were  to  be  condoned  and  where 
he  would  be  safe  from  all  vengeful  Vinces  and 
from  all  temptations  of  the  flaunting  skull  and 
bones. 

It  was  a  bright  morning  when,  with  a  fair 
wind  upon  her  starboard  bow,  the  sloop  Belinda, 
bearing  the  jubilant  three,  sailed  southward  on 
her  course  to  the  coast  of  Honduras ;  and  it  was 
upon  that  same  morning  that  the  good  ship  Re- 
venge, bearing  the  pirate  Blackbeard  and  his 
handsomely  uniformed  lieutenant,  sailed  north- 
ward, the  same  fair  wind  upon  her  port  bow. 


222 


CHAPTER   XXI 


A    PROJECTED    MARRIAGE 


TRAXGE  as  it  may  appear, 
Dickory  Charter  was  not  a 
very  unhappy  young  fellow 
as  lie  stood  in  his  fine  uniform  on  the  quarter- 
deck of  the  Revenge,  the  fresh  breeze  ruffling  his 
brown  curls  when  he  lifted  his  heavy  cocked  hat. 
True,  he  was  leaving  behind  him  his  friends, 
Captain  Bonnet  and  Ben  Greenway,  with  whom 
the  wayward  Blackbeard  would  allow  no  word 
of  leave-taking;  true,  he  was  going,  he  knew 
not  where,  and  in  the  power  of  a  man  noted  the 
new  world  over  for  his  savage  eccentricities; 
and  true,  he  might  soon  be  sailing,  hour  by  hour, 
farther  and  farther  away  from  the  island  on 
which  dwelt  the  angel  Kate— that  angel  Kate  and 
his  mother.  But  none  of  these  considerations 
could  keep  down  the  glad  feeling  that  he  was 
going,  that  he  was  moving.  Moreover,  in  answer 
to  one  of  his  impassioned  appeals  to  be  set  ashore 
at  Jamaica,  Blackbeard  had  said  to  him  that  if 
he  should  get  tired  of  him  he  did  not  see,  at  that 

223 


KATE   BOXXET 

moment,  any  reason  why  he  should  not  put  him 
on  board  some  convenient  vessel  and  have  him 
landed  at  Kingston. 

Dickory  did  not  believe  very  much  in  the 
black-bearded  pirate,  with  his  wild  tricks  and  in- 
human high  spirits,  but  Jamaica  lay  to  the  east, 
and  he  was  going  eastward. 

Incited,  perhaps,  by  the  possession  of  a  fine 
ship,  manned  by  a  crew  picked  from  his  old  ves- 
sel and  from  the  men  who  had  formed  the  crew 
of  the  Revenge,  Blackbeard  was  in  better  spirits 
than  was  his  wont,  and  so  far  as  his  nature  would 
allow  he  treated  Dickory  with  fair  good-humour. 
But  no  matter  what  happened,  his  unrestrained 
imagination  never  failed  him.  Having  taken  the 
fancy  to  see  Dickory  always  in  full  uniform,  he 
allowed  him  to  assume  no  other  clothes ;  he  was 
always  in  naval  full-dress  and  cocked  hat,  and 
his  duties  were  those  of  a  private  secretary. 

"  The  only  shrewd  thing  I  ever  knew  your 
Sir  Nightcap  to  do,"  he  said,  "  was  to  tell  me 
you  could  not  read  nor  write.  He  spoke  so  glibly 
that  I  believed  him.  Had  it  not  been  so  I  should 
have  sent  you  to  the  town  to  help  with  the  shore 
end  of  my  affairs,  and  then  you  would  have  been 
there  still  and  I  should  have  had  no  admiral  to 
write  my  log  and  straighten  my  accounts. " 

Sometimes,  in  his  quieter  moods,  when  there 
was  no  provocation  to  send  pistol-balls  between 
two  sailors  quietly  conversing,  or  to  perform 
some  other  demoniac  trick,   Blackbeard  would 

224 


A   PROJECTED    MARRIAGE 

talk  to  Dickory  and  ask  all  manner  of  questions, 
some  of  which  the  young  man  answered,  while 
some  he  tried  not  to  answer.  Thus  it  was 
that  the  pirate  found  out  a  great  deal  more 
about  Dickory 's  life,  hope,  and  sorrows  than  the 
young  fellow  imagined  that  he  made  known.  He 
discovered  that  Dickory  was  greatly  interested 
in  Bonnet's  daughter,  and  wished  above  all  other 
things  in  this  world  to  get  to  her  and  to  be  with 
her. 

This  was  a  little  out  of  the  common  run  of 
things  among  the  brotherhood ;  it  was  their  fash- 
ion to  forget,  so  far  as  they  were  able,  the  family 
ties  which  already  belonged  to  them,  and  to  make 
no  plans  for  any  future  ties  of  that  sort  which 
they  might  be  able  to  make.  Such  a  thing  amused 
the  generally  rampant  Blackbeard,  but  if  this 
Dickory  boy  whom  they  had  on  board  really  did 
wish  to  marry  some  one,  the  idea  came  into  the 
crafty  mind  of  Blackbeard  that  he  would  like  to 
attend  to  that  marrying  himself.  It  pleased 
him  to  have  a  finger  in  every  pie,  and  now  here 
was  a  pie  in  the  fingering  of  which  he  might 
take  a  novel  interest. 

This  renowned  desperado,  this  bloody  cut- 
throat, this  merciless  pirate  possessed  a  home— 
a  quiet  little  English  home  on  the  Cornwall  coast, 
where  the  cheerful  woods  and  fields  stretched 
down  almost  in  reach  of  the  sullen  sea.  Here 
dwelt  his  wife,  quiet  Mistress  Thatch,  and  here 
his  brawny  daughter.     Seldom  a  word  came  to 

225 


KATE    BOXXET 

this  rural  home  from  the  father,  burning  and 
robbing,  sinking  and  slaying  out  upon  the  west- 
ern seas.  But  from  the  stores  of  pelf  which  so 
often  slipped  so  easily  into  his  great  arms,  and 
which  so  often  slipped  just  as  easily  out  of  them, 
came  now  and  then  something  to  help  the  brawn 
grow  upon  his  daughter's  bones  and  to  ease  the 
labours  of  his  wife. 

Eliza  Thatch  bore  no  resemblance  to  a  houri ; 
her  hair  was  red,  her  face  was  freckled ;  she  had 
enough  teeth  left  to  do  good  eating  with  when 
she  had  a  chance,  and  her  step  shook  the  timbers 
of  her  little  home. 

Her  father  had  heard  from  her  a  little  while 
ago  by  a  letter  she  had  had  conveyed  to  Belize. 
His  parental  feelings,  notwithstanding  he  had 
told  Bonnet  he  knew  no  such  sentiments,  were 
stirred.  When  he  had  finished  her  letter  he 
would  have  been  well  pleased  to  burn  a  vessel 
and  make  a  dozen  passengers  walk  the  plank 
as  a  memorial  to  his  girl.  But  this  not  being 
convenient,  it  had  come  to  him  that  he  would 
marry  the  wench  to  the  gaily  bedecked  young 
fellow  he  had  captured,  and  it  filled  his  reckless 
heart  with  a  wild  delight.  He  drew  his  cutlass, 
and  with  a  great  oath  he  drove  the  heavy  blade 
into  the  top  of  the  table,  and  he  swore  by  this 
mark  that  his  grand  plan  should  be  carried  out. 

He  would  sail  over  to  England;  this  would 
be  a  happy  chance,  for  his  vessel  was  unladen 
and  ready  for  any  adventure.    He  would  drop 

226 


A   PROJECTED    MARRIAGE 

• 
anchor  in  the  quiet  cove  he  knew  of ;  he  would 
go  ashore  by  night ;  he  would  be  at  home  again. 
To  be  at  home  again  made  him  shout  with  pro- 
fane laughter,  the  little  home  he  remembered 
would  be  so  ridiculous  to  him  now.  He  would 
see  again  his  poor  little  trembling  wife -she 
must  be  gray  by  now— and  he  was  sure  that  she 
would  tremble  more  than  ever  she  did  when  she 
heard  the  great  sea  oaths  which  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  pour  forth  now.  And  his  daughter,  she 
must  be  a  strapping  wench  by  this  time ;  he  was 
sure  she  could  stand  a  slap  on  the  back  which 
would  kill  her  mother. 

Yes,  there  should  be  a  wedding,  a  fine  wed- 
ding, and  good  old  rum  should  water  the  earth. 
And  he  ♦would  detail  a  boat's  crew  of  jolly  good 
fellows  from  the  Revenge  to  help  make  things 
uproarious.  This  Charter  boy  and  Eliza  should 
have  a  house  of  their  own,  with  plenty  of  money 
—he  had  more  funds  in  hand  than  ever  in  his  life 
before— and  his  respectable  son-in-law  should  go 
to  London  and  deposit  his  fortune  in  a  bank. 
It  would  be  royal  fun  to  think  of  him  and  Eliza 
highlv  respectable  and  with  money  in  the  bank. 
A  quart  of  the  best  rum  could  scarcely  have  made 
Blackboard  more  hilarious  than  did  this  glorious 
notion.  He  danced  among  his  crew ;  he  singed 
beards  ;  he  whacked  with  capstan  bars ;  he  pushed 
men  down  hatchways :  he  was  in  lordly  spirits, 
and  his  crew  expected  some  great  adventure, 
some  startling  piece  of  deviltry. 

227 


KATE   BONNET 

Of  course  he  did  not  keep  his  great  design 
from  Dickory— it  was  too  glorious,  too  tran- 
scendent. He  took  his  young  admiral  into  his 
cabin  and  laid  before  him  his  dazzling  future. 

Dickory  sat  speechless,  almost  breathless. 
As  he  listened  he  could  feel  himself  turn  cold. 
Had  any  one  else  been  talking  to  him  in  this 
strain  he  would  have  shouted  with  laughter,  but 
people  did  not  laugh  at  Blackbeard. 

When  the  pirate  had  said  all  and  was  gazing 
triumphantly  at  poor  Dickory,  the  young  man 
gasped  a  word  in  answer;  he  could  not  accept 
this  awful  fate  without  as  much  as  a  wave  of 
the  hand  in  protest. 

"  But,  sir,"  said  he,  "  if " 

Blackbeard 's  face  grew  black;  he  bent  his 
head  and  lowered  upon  the  pale  Dickory,  then, 
with  a  tremendous  blow,  he  brought  down  his 
fist  upon  the  table. 

"  If  Eliza  will  not  have  you,"  he  roared; 
i '  if  that  girl  will  not  take  you  when  I  offer  you 
to  her;  if  she  or  her  mother  as  much  as  winks 
an  evelash  in  disobedience  of  my  commands,  I 
will  take  them  by  the  hair  of  their  heads  and  I 
will  throw  them  into  the  sea.  If  she  will  not 
have  you,"  he  repeated,  roaring  as  if  he  were 
shouting  through  a  speaking  trumpet  in  a  storm, 
' '  if  I  thought  that,  youngster,  I  would  burn  the 
house  with  both  of  them  in  it,  and  the  rum  I 
had  bought  to  make  a  jolly  wedding  should  be 
poured  on  the  timbers  to  make  them  blaze.    Let 

228 


A   PROJECTED    MARRIAGE 

no  notions  like  that  enter  your  mind,  my  boy. 
If  she  disobeys  me,  I  will  cook  her  and  you  shall 
eat  her.  Disobey  me!"  And  he  swore  at  such 
a  rate  that  he  panted  for  fresh  air  and  mounted 
to  the  deck. 

It  was  not  a  time  for  Dickory  to  make  re- 
marks indicating  his  disapproval  of  the  pro- 
posed arrangement. 

As  the  Revenge  sailed  on  over  sunny  seas  or 
under  lowering  clouds,  Dickory  was  no  stranger 
to  the  binnacle,  and  the  compass  always  told 
him  that  they  were  sailing  eastward.  He  had 
once  asked  Blackbeard  where  they  now  were 
by  the  chart,  but  that  gracious  gentleman  of  the 
midnight  beard  had  given  him  oaths  for  an- 
swers, and  had  told  him  that  if  the  captain  knew 
where  the  ship  was  on  any  particular  hour  or 
minute  nobody  else  on  that  ship  need  trouble 
his  head  about  it.  But  at  last  the  course  of  the 
Revenge  was  changed  a  little,  and  she  sailed 
northward.  Then  Dickory  spoke  with  one  of 
the  mildest  of  the  mates  upon  the  subject  of 
their  progress,  and  the  man  made  known  to  him 
that  they  were  now  about  half-way  through  the 
Windward  passage.  Dickory  started  back.  He 
knew  something  of  the  geography  of  those  seas. 

"  Why,  then,"  he  cried,  "  we  have  passed 
Jamaica!  " 

'"  Of  course  we  have,"  said  the  man,  and  if 
it  had  not  been  for  Dickory 's  uniform  he  would 
have  sworn  at  him. 

229 


CHAPTER   XXII 


BLADE  TO   BLADE 


Badger 


sailed  from  Jamaica  she 
moved  among  the  islands  of 
the  Caribbean  Sea  as  if  she  had  been  a  modern 
vessel  propelled  by  a  steam-engine.  That  which 
represented  a  steam-engine  in  this  case  was  the 
fiery  brain  of  Captain  Christopher  Vince  of  his 
Majesty's  navy.  More  than  winds,  more  than 
currents,  this  brain  made  its  power  felt  upon  the 
course  and  progress  of  the  vessel. 

Calling  at  every  port  where  information 
might  possibly  be  gained,  hailing  every  sloop  or 
ship  or  fishing-smack  which  might  have  sighted 
the  pirate  ship  Revenge,  with  a  constant  lookout 
for  a  black  flag,  Captain  Vince  kept  his  engine 
steadily  at  work. 

But  it  was  not  in  pursuit  of  a  ship  that  the 
swift  keel  of  the  Badger  cut  through  the  sea, 
this  way  and  that,  now  on  a  long  course,  now 
doubling  back  again,  like  a  hound  fancying  he 
has  got  the  scent  of  a  hare,  then  raging  wildly 

230 


BLADE  TO  BLADE 

• 

when  he  finds  the  scent  is  false ;  it  was  in  pur- 
suit of  a  woman  that  every  sail  was  spread,  that 
the  lookout  swept  the  sea,  and  that  the  hot  brain 
of  the  captain  worked  steadily  and  hard.  This 
English  man-of-war  was  on  a  cruise  to  make 
Kate  Bonnet  the  bride  of  its  captain.  The  heart 
of  this  naval  lover  was  very  steady;  it  was  fixed 
in  its  purpose,  nothing  could  turn  it  aside. 
Yince's  plans  were  well-digested;  he  knew  what 
he  wanted  to  do,  he  knew  how  he  was  going 
to  do  it. 

In  the  first  place  he  would  capture  the  man 
Bonnet;  all  the  details  of  the  action  were  ar- 
ranged to  that  end;  then,  with  Kate's  father  as 
his  prisoner,  he  would  be  master  of  the  situa- 
tion. 

There  was  nothing  noble  about  this  craftily 
elaborated  design;  but,  then,  there  was  nothing 
noble  about  Captain  Vince.  He  was  a  strong 
hater  and  a  strong  lover,  and  whether  he  hated 
or  loved,  nothing,  good  or  bad,  must  stand  in 
his  way.  With  the  life  or  death,  the  misery  or 
the  happiness  of  the  father  in  his  hands,  he  knew 
that  he  need  but  beckon  to  the  daughter.  She 
might  come  slowly,  but  she  would  come.  She 
was  a  grand  woman,  but  she  was  a  woman ;  she 
might  resist  the  warm  plea  of  love,  but  she  could 
not  resist  the  cold  commands  of  that  cruel  figure 
of  death  who  stood  behind  the  lover. 

Captain  Bonnet  was  returning  from  his  visit 
to  the  Xew  England  coast,  picking  up  bits  of 

231 


KATE    BONNET 

profit  here  and  there  as  fortune  befell  him,  when 
Captain  Vince  first  heard  that  the  Revenge  had 
gone  northward.  The  news  was  circumstantial 
and  straightforward,  and  was  not  to  be  doubted. 
Vince  raged  upon  his  quarter-deck  when  he 
found  out  how  he  had  been  wasting  time.  North- 
ward now  was  pointed  the  bow  of  the  Badger, 
and  the  vengeful  Vince  felt  as  if  his  prey  was 
already  in  his  hands.  If  Bonnet  had  sailed  up 
the  Atlantic  coast  he  was  bound  to  sail  down 
again.  It  might  be  a  long  cruise,  there  might 
be  impatient  waitings  at  the  mouths  of  coves 
and  rivers  where  the  pirates  were  accustomed 
to  take  refuge  or  refit,  but  the  light  of  the  eyes 
of  Kate  Bonnet  were  worth  the  longest  pursuit 
or  the  most  impatient  waiting. 

So,  steadily  sailed  the  corvette  Badger  up  the 
long  Atlantic  coast,  and  she  passed  the  capes  of 
the  Delaware  while  Captain  Bonnet  was  examin- 
ing the  queer  pulpit  in  the  little  bay-side  town 
where  his  ship  had  stopped  to  take  in  water. 

At  the  various  ports  of  the  northern  coast 
where  the  Revenge  had  sailed  back  and  forth 
outside,  the  Badger  boldly  entered,  and  the  tales 
she  heard  soon  turned  her  back  again  to  sail 
southward  down  the  long  Atlantic  coast.  But 
the  heart  of  Christopher  Vince  never  failed.  The 
vision  of  Kate  Bonnet  as  he  had  seen  her,  stand- 
ing with  glorious  eyes  denouncing  him;  as  he 
should  see  her  when,  with  bowed  head  and  prof- 
fered hand,  she  came  to  him;  as  all  should  see 

232 


BLADE  TO  BLADE 

her  when,  in  her  clear-cut  beauty,  she  stood  be- 
side him  in  his  ancestral  home,  never  left  him. 

Off  the  port  of  Charles  Town,  South  Carolina, 
the  Badger  lay  and  waited,  and  soon,  from  an 
outgoing  bark,  the  news  came  to  Captain  Yince 
that  several  weeks  before  the  pirate  Bonnet  of 
the  Revenge  had  taken  an  English  ship  as  she 
was  entering  port,  and  had  then  sailed  south- 
ward. Southward  now  sailed  the  Badger,  and, 
as  there  was  but  little  wind,  Captain  Vince  swore 
with  an  unremitting  diligence. 

It  was  a  quiet  morning  and  the  Badger  was 
nearing  the  straits  of  Florida  when  a  sail  was 
reported  almost  due  south. 

Up  came  Captain  Vince  with  his  glass,  and 
after  a  long,  long  look,  and  another,  and  another, 
during  which  the  two  vessels  came  slowly  nearer 
and  nearer  each  other,  the  captain  turned  to  his 
first  officer  and  said  quietly:  "  She  flies  the  skull 
and  bones.  She 's  the  first  of  those  hellish  pirates 
that  we  have  yet  met  on  this  most  unlucky 
cruise. ' ' 

"If  we  could  send  her,  with  her  crew  on 
board,  ten  times  to  the  bottom,"  said  the  other, 
"  she  would  not  pay  us  what  her  vile  fraternity 
has  cost  us.  But  these  pirate  craft  know  well 
the  difference  between  a  Spanish  galleon  and  a 
British  man-of-war,  and  they  will  always  give 
us  a  wide  berth. ' ' 

"  But  this  one  will  not,"  said  the  captain. 

Then  again  he  looked  long  and  earnestly 
16  233 


.'  •  '• 


i 


"••—   .  - 


«L  --j 


to 
on 

ft 


KATE   BONNET 

royal  navy.  He  yearned  to  cross  blades  with  the 
man  whose  blood  should  not  be  shed,  whose  life 
should  be  preserved  throughout  the  combat  as  if 
he  were  a  friend  and  not  a  foe,  who  should  sur- 
render to  him  his  sword  and  give  to  him  his 
daughter. 

"  They're  a  brave  lot,  those  bloody  rascals," 
said  one  of  the  men  of  the  Badger. 

' '  They  've  a  fool  of  a  captain, ' '  said  another ; 
"  he  knows  not  the  difference  between  a  British 
man-of-war  and  a  Spanish  galleon,  but  we  shall 
teach  him  that." 

Slowly  they  came  together,  the  Revenge  and 
the  Badger,  the  bow  of  one  pointed  east  and  the 
bow  of  the  other  to  the  west ;  from  neither  vessel 
there  came  a  word ;  the  low  waves  coulgl  be  heard 
flapping  against  their  sides.  Suddenly  there 
rang  out  from  the  man-of-war  the  order  to  make 
fast.  The  grapnels  flew  over  the  bulwarks  of 
the  pirate,  and  in  a  moment  the  two  vessels  were 
as  one.  Then,  with  a  great  shout,  the  men  of  the 
Badger  leaped  and  hurled  themselves  upon  the 
deck  of  the  Revenge,  and  upon  that  deck  and 
from  behind  bulwarks  there  rose,  yelling  and 
howling  and  roaring,  the  picked  men  of  two 
pirate  crews,  quick,  furious,  and  strong  as  tigers, 
the  hate  of  man  in  their  eyes  and  the  love  of 
blood  in  their  hearts.  Like  a  wave  of  massacre 
they  threw  themselves  against  the  drilled  masses 
of  the  Badger's  crew,  and  with  yells  and  oaths 
and  curses  and  cries  the  battle  raged. 

236 


BLADE    TO    BLADE 

With  a  sudden  dash  the  captain  of  the  man- 
of-war  plunged  through  the  ranks  of  the  com- 
batants and  stood  upon  the  middle  of  the  deck ; 
his  quick  eyes  shot  here  and  there ;  wherever  he 
might  be,  lie  sought  the  captain  of  the  pirate 
ship.  In  an  instant  a  huge  man  bounded  aft 
and  made  one  long  step  towards  him.  Vast  in 
chest  and  shoulder,  and  with  mighty  limbs,  fiery- 
eyed,  hairy,  horribly  fantastic,  Blackbeard  stood, 
with  great  head  lowered  for  the  charge. 

"  A  sugar-planter?  "  was  the  swift  thought 

of  Vince. 

"  Are  you  the  captain  of  this  ship?  "  he 

shouted. 

"  I  am!  "  cried  the  other,  and  with  a  curse 
like  bursting  thunder  the  pirate  came  on  and 
his  blade  crossed  that  of  Captain  Vince. 

Forward  and  amidships  surged  the  general 
fight:  men  plunged,  swords  fell,  blood  flowed, 
feet  slipped  upon  the  deck,  and  roars  of  blas- 
phemy and  pain  rose  above  the  noise  of  battle. 
But  farther  aft  the  two  captains,  in  a  space  by 
themselves,  cut,  thrust,  and  trampled,  whirling 
around  each  other,  dashing  from  this  side  and 
that,  ever  with  keen  eyes  firmly  fixed,  ever  with 
strong  amis  whirling  down  and  upward:  now 
one  man  felt  the  keen  cut  of  steel  and  now  the 
other.  The  blood  ran  upon  rich  uniform  or 
stained  rough  cloth  and  leather.  It  was  a  fight 
as  if  between  a  lioness  and  a  tigress,  their  dead 
nubs  near-by. 

237 


KATE    BONNET 

As  most  men  in  the  navy  knew,  Captain 
Vince  was  a  most  dangerous  swordsman.  In 
duel  or  in  warfare,  no  man  yet  had  been  able 
to  stand  before  him.  With  skilled  arm  and  eye 
and  with  every  muscle  of  his  body  trained,  his 
sword  sought  a  vital  spot  in  his  opponent.  There 
was  no  thought  now  in  the  mind  of  Vince  about 
disarming  the  pirate  and  taking  him  prisoner; 
this  terrible  wild  beast,  this  hairy  monster  must 
be  killed  or  he  himself  must  die.  Through  the 
whirl  and  clash  and  hot  breath  of  battle  he  had 
been  amazed  that  Kate  Bonnet's  father  should 
be  a  man  like  this. 

The  pirate,  his  eyes  now  shrunken  into  his 
head,  where  they  glowed  like  coals,  his  breath 
steaming  like  a  volcano,  and  his  tremendous 
muscles  supple  and  quick  as  those  of  a  cat,  met 
his  antagonist  at  every  point,  and  with  every 
lunge  and  thrust  and  cut  forced  him  to  guard. 

Now  Vince  shut  himself  in  his  armour  of 
trained  defence;  this  bounding  lion  must  be 
killed,  but  the  death-stroke  must  be  cunningly 
delivered,  and  until,  in  his  hot  rage,  the  pirate 
should  forget  his  guard  Vince  must  shield  him- 
self. 

Never  had  the  great  Blackbeard  met  so  keen 
a  swordsman;  he  howled  with  rage  to  see  the 
English  captain  still  vigorous,  agile,  warding 
every  stroke.  Blackbeard  was  now  a  wild  beast 
of  the  sea :  he  fought  to  kill,  for  naught  else,  not 
even  his  own  life.    With  a  yell  he  threw  himself 

238 


BLADE  TO  BLADE 

upon  Captain  Vince,  whose  sword  passed  quick 
as  lightning  through  the  brawny  masses  of  his 
left  shoulder.  With  one  quick  step,  the  pirate 
pressed  closer  to  Vince,  thus  holding  the  impris- 
oned blade,  which  stuck  out  behind  his  body,  and 
with  a  tremendous  blow  of  his  right  fist,  in 
which  he  held  the  heavy  brazen  hilt  of  his  sword, 
he  dashed  his  enemy  backward  to  the  ground. 
The  fall  drew  the  blade  from  the  shoulder  of 
Blackbeard,  whose  great  right  arm  went  up, 
whose  sword  hissed  in  the  air  and  then  came 
down  upon  the  prostrate  Vince.  Another  stroke 
and  the  English  captain  lay  insensible  and  still. 

With  the  scream  of  a  maddened  Indian, 
Blackbeard  sprung  into  the  air,  and  when  his 
feet  touched  the  deck  he  danced.  He  would  have 
hewn  his  victim  into  pieces,  he  would  have  scat- 
tered him  over  the  decks,  but  there  was  no  time 
for  such  recreations.  Forward  the  battle  raged 
with  tremendous  fury,  and  into  the  midst  of  it 
dashed  Blackbeard. 

From  the  companion-way  leading  to  the  cap- 
tain's cabin  there  now  appeared  a  pale  young 
face.  It  was  that  of  Dickory  Charter,  who  had 
been  ordered  by  Blackbeard,  before  the  two  ves- 
sels came  together,  to  shut  himself  in  the  cabin 
and  to  keep  out  of  the  broil,  swearing  that  if 
he  made  himself  unfit  to  present  to  Eliza  he 
would  toss  his  disfigured  body  into  the  sea. 
Entirely  unarmed  and  having  no  place  in  the 
fight,  Dickory  had  obeyed,  but  the  spirit  of  a 

239 


KATE    BONNET 

young  man  which  burned  within  him  led  him  to 
behold  the  greater  part  of  the  conflict  between 
Blackbeard  and  the  English  captain.  Being  a 
young  man,  he  had  shut  his  eyes  at  the  end  of 
it,  but  when  the  pirate  had  left  he  came  forth 
quietly.  The  fight  raged  forward,  and  here  he 
was  alone  with  the  fallen  figure  on  the  deck. 

As  Dickory  stood  gazing  downward  in  awe- 
in  all  his  life  he  had  never  seen  a  corpse— the 
man  he  had  supposed  dead  opened  his  eyes  for  a 
moment  and  gazed  with  dull  intelligence,  and 
then  he  gasped  for  rum.  Dickory  was  quickly 
beside  him  with  a  tumbler  of  spirits  and  water, 
which,  raising  the  fallen  man's  head,  he  gave 
him.  In  a  few  moments  the  eyes  of  Captain 
Vince  opened  wider,  and  he  stared  at  the  young 
man  in  naval  uniform  who  stood  above  him. 
' '  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  said  in  a  low  voice,  but 
distinct,  "  an  English  officer?  " 

"  No,"  said  Dickory,  "  I  am  no  officer  and 
no  pirate;  I  am  forced  to  wear  these  clothes." 

And  then,  his  natural  and  selfish  instincts 
pushing  themselves  before  anything  else,  Dick- 
ory went  on:  "  Oh,  sir,  if  your  men  conquer 
these  pirates  will  you  take  me-"  but  as  he  spoke 
he  saw  that  the  wounded  man  was  not  listening 
to  him ;  his  half -closed  eyes  turned  towards  him 
and  he  whispered : 

' '  More  spirits !  ' ' 

Dickory  dashed  into  the  cabin,  half-filled  a 
tumbler  with  rum  and  gave  it  to  Vince.     Pres- 

240 


BLADE  TO  BLADE 

ently  his  eyes  recovered  something  of  their  nat- 
ural glow,  and  with  contracted  brow  he  fixed 
them  upon  the  stream  of  blood  which  was  run- 
ning from  him  over  the  deck. 

Suddenly  he  spoke  sharply :  i '  Young  fel- 
low, ' '  he  said,  ' '  some  paper  and  a  pen,  a  pencil, 
anything.    Quick!  " 

Dickory  looked  at  him  in  amazement  for  a 
moment  and  then  he  ran  into  the  cabin,  soon 
returning  with  a  sheet  of  paper  and  an  English 
pencil. 

The  eyes  of  Captain  Vince  were  now  very 
bright,  and  a  nervous  strength  came  into  his 
body.  He  raised  himself  upon  his  elbow,  he 
clutched  at  the  paper,  and  clapping  it  upon  the 
deck  began  to  write.  Quickly  his  pencil  moved ; 
already  he  was  feeling  that  his  rum-given 
strength  was  leaving  him,  but  several  pages  he 
wrote,  and  then  he  signed  his  name.  Folding 
the  sheet  he  stopped  for  a  moment,  feeling  that 
he  could  do  no  more;  but,  gathering  together 
his  strength  in  one  convulsive  motion,  he  ad- 
dressed the  letter. 

"  Take  that,"  he  feebly  said,  "  and  swear 
.  .  .  that  it  shall  be  .  .  .  delivered." 

"  I  swear,"  said  Dickory,  as  on  his  knees  he 
took  the  blood-smeared  letter.  He  hastily  slipped 
it  into  the  breast  of  his  coat,  and  then  he  was 
barely  able  to  move  quick  enough  to  keep  the 
Englishman's  head  from  striking  the  deck. 

"  How  now!  "  sounded  a  harsh  growl  at  his 

241 


KATE    BOXXET 

ear.  "  Get  you  into  your  cabin  or  you  will  be 
hurt.  It  is  not  time  yet  for  the  fleecing  of 
corpses!  I  am  choking  for  a  glass  of  brandy. 
Get  in  and  stay  there !  ' ' 

In  another  minute  Blackbeard,  refreshed, 
was  running  aft,  the  cut  through  his  shoulder 
bleeding,  but  entirely  forgotten. 

There  was  no  fighting  now  upon  the  deck  of 
the  Revenge;  the  conflict  raged,  but  it  had  been 
transferred  to  the  Badger.  The  sailors  of  the 
man-of-war  had  fought  valiantly  and  stoutly, 
even  impetuously,  but  their  enemies— picked 
men  from  two  pirate  crews— had  fought  like 
wire-muscled  devils.  Ablaze  with  fury  they  had 
cut  down  the  Badger's  men,  piling  them  upon 
their  own  fallen  comrades ;  they  had  followed 
the  brave  fellows  with  oaths,  cutlasses,  and  pis- 
tols as,  little  at  a  time  and  fighting  all  the  while, 
they  slowly  clambered  back  into  their  own  ship. 
The  pirates  had  thrown  their  grapnels  over  the 
bulwarks  of  the  man-of-war;  they  had  followed, 
cut  by  cut,  shot  by  shot,  until  they  now  stood 
upon  the  Badger,  fighting  with  the  same  fury 
that  they  had  just  fought  upon  the  blood-soaked 
Revenge.  Blackbeard  was  not  yet  with  them— 
whatever  happened,  Blackbeard  must  be  re- 
freshed—but now  he  sprang  into  the  enemy's 
ship— that  fine  British  man-of-war,  the  corvette 
Badger,  which  had  so  bravely  sailed  down  upon 
his  ship  to  capture  her— and  led  the  carnage. 

They  were  tough  men,  those  British  seamen, 

242 


BLADE  TO  BLADE 

tough  in  heart,  tough  in  amis  and  body;  they 
fought  above  decks  and  they  fought  below,  and 
they  laid  many  a  pirate  scoundrel  dead ;  but  they 
had  met  a  foe  which  was  too  strong  for  them— 
a  pack  of  brawny,  hairy  desperadoes,  picked 
from  two  pirate  crews.  The  first  officer  now 
commanding,  panting,  bleeding,  and  torn, 
groaned  as  he  saw  that  his  men  could  fight 
no  longer,  and  he  surrendered  the  Badger  to 
the  pirates. 

The  great  Blackbeard  yelled  with  delight. 
When  had  any  other  captain  sailing  under  the 
Jolly  Roger  captured  a  British  man-of-war,  a 
first-class  corvette  of  the  royal  navy  !  His  fren- 
zied joy  was  so  intense  that  he  was  on  the  point 
of  cutting  down  the  officer  who  was  offering  him 
his  sword,  but  he  withheld  his  hand. 

' '  Go,  somebody,  and  fetch  me  a  glass  of  his 
Majesty's  rum,"  he  cried,  "  and  I  will  drink 
to  his  perdition !  ' ' 

The  door  of  a  locker  was  smashed,  the  spirits 
were  brought,  and  the  great  Blackbeard  was 
again  refreshed. 

Standing  on  the  quarter-deck  where  but  an 
hour  or  two  before  Captain  Christopher  Vince 
had  stood  commanding  his  fine  corvette  as  she 
sailed  down  upon  her  pirate  enemy,  Blackbeard 
had  brought  before  him  all  the  survivors  of  the 
Badger's  crew. 

"  Well,  you're  a  lot  of  damnable  knaves," 
said  he,  "  and  vou  have  cost  me  many  a  good 

243 


KATE    BONNET 

man  this  day.  But  my  crew  will  now  be  short- 
handed,  and  if  any  or  all  of  you  will  turn  pirate 
and  ship  with  me,  I  will  let  bygones  pass;  but, 
if  any  of  you  choose  not  that,  overboard  you  go. 
I  will  have  no  unwilling  rascals  in  my  crew. ' ' 

All  but  one  of  the  men  of  the  Badger,  down- 
cast, wounded,  panting  with  thirst  and  loving 
life,  agreed  to  become  pirates  and  to  ship  on 
board  the  Revenge. 

The  first  mate  would  not  break  his  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  king,  and  he  went  overboard. 


244 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

THE    ADDRESS    OF   THE    LETTER 


HERE  was  hard  and  ghastly  work 
that  day  when  the  Revenge  was 
cleared  after  action,  and  there  was 
lively  and  interesting  work  on  board  the  Badger 
when  Blackbeard  and  his  officers  went  over  the 
captured  vessel  to  discover  what  new  possessions 
they  had  won. 

At  first  Blackbeard  had  thought  to  establish 
himself  upon  the  corvette  and  abandon  the  Re- 
venge. It  would  have  been  such  a  grand  thing 
to  scourge  the  seas  in  a  British  man-of-war  with 
the  Jolly  Roger  floating  over  her.  But  this 
would  have  been  too  dangerous;  the  combined 
naval  force  of  England  in  American  waters 
would  have  been  united  to  put  down  such  pre- 
sumption. So  the  wary  pirate  curbed  his  am- 
bition. 

Everything  portable  and  valuable  was 
stripped  from  the  Badger— her  guns  would 
have  been  taken  had  it  been  practicable  to  ship 
them  to  the  Revenge  in  a  rising  sea— and  then 

245 


KATE    BONNET 

she  was  scuttled,  fired,  and  cast  off,  and  with 
her  dead  on  board  she  passed  out  of  commission 
in  the  royal  navy. 

During  the  turmoil,  the  horror  and  the  bring- 
ing aboard  of  pillage,  Diekory  Charter  had  kept 
close  below  deck,  his  face  in  his  hands  and  his 
heart  almost  broken.  It  is  so  easy  for  young 
hearts  to  almost  break. 

When  he  had  seen  the  British  ship  come  sail- 
ing down  upon  them,  hope  had  sprung  up  bright- 
ly in  his  heart;  now  there  was  a  chance  of  his 
escaping  from  this  hell  of  the  waves.  "When  the 
Revenge  should  be  taken  he  would  rush  to  the 
British  captain,  or  any  one  in  authority,  and  tell 
his  tale.  It  would  be  believed,  he  doubted  not; 
even  his  uniform  would  help  to  prove  he  was  no 
pirate;  he  would  be  taken  away,  he  would  reach 
Jamaica ;  he  would  see  Kate ;  he  would  carry 
to  her  the  great  news  of  her  father.  After  that 
his  life  could  take  care  of  itself. 

But  now  the  blackness  of  darkness  was  over 
everything.  Those  who  were  to  have  been  his 
friends  had  vanished,  the  ship  which  was  to  have 
given  him  a  new  life  had  disappeared  forever. 
He  was  on  board  the  pirate  ship,  bound  for  the 
shores  of  England— horrible  shores  to  him  — 
bound  to  the  shores  of  England  and  to  Black- 
beard's  Eliza ! 

He  was  not  a  fool,  this  Diekory;  he  had 
no  unwarrantable  and  romantic  fears  that  in 
these  enlightened    days  one  man  could  say  to 

216 


THE  ADDRESS  OF  THE  LETTEB 

another,  "  Go  you,  and  marry  the  woman  I 
have  chosen  for  you."  There  was  nothing  silly 
or  cowardly  about  him,  but  he  knew  Black- 
board. 

Xot  one  ray  of  hope  thrust  itself  through  his 
hands  into  his  brain.  Hope  had  gone,  gone  to 
the  bottom,  and  he  was  on  his  storm-tossed  way 
to  the  waters  of  another  continent. 

But  in  the  midst  of  his  despair  Dickory  never 
thought  of  freeing  himself,  by  a  sudden  bound. 
of  the  world  and  his  woes.  So  long  as  Kate 
should  live  he  must  live,  even  if  it  were  to  prove 
to  himself,  and  to  himself  only,  how  faithful  to 
her  he  could  be. 

It  was  dark  when  men  came  tumbling  be- 
low, throwing  themselves  into  hammocks  and 
bunks,  and  Dickory  prepared  to  turn  in.  If  sleep 
should  come  and  without  dreams,  it  would  be 
greater  gain  than  bags  of  gold.  As  he  took  off 
his  coat,  the  letter  of  the  English  captain  dropped 
from  his  breast.  Until  then  he  had  forgotten 
it,  but  now  he  remembered  it  as  a  sacred  trust. 
The  dull  light  of  the  lantern  barely  enabled  him 
to  discern  objects  about  him.  but  he  stuck  the 
letter  into  a  crack  in  the  woodwork  where  in 
the  morning  he  would  see  it  and  take  proper 
care  of  it. 

Soon  sleep  came,  but  not  without  dreams. 
He  dreamed  that  he  was  rowing  Kate  on  the 
river  at  Bridgetown,  and  that  she  told  him  in 
a  low  sweet  voice,  with  a  smile  on  her  lips  and 


KATE   BOXXET 

her  eyes  tenderly  upturned,  that  she  would  like 
to  row  thus  with  him  forever. 

Early  in  the  morning,  through  an  open  port- 
hole, the  light  of  the  eastern  sun  stole  into  this 
abode  of  darkness  and  sin  and  threw  itself  upon 
the  red-stained  letter  sticking  in  the  crack  of  the 
woodwork.  Presently  Dickory  opened  his  eyes, 
and  the  first  thing  they  fell  upon  was  that  letter. 
On  the  side  of  the  folded  sheet  he  could  see  the 
superscription,  boldly  but  irregularly  written: 
"  Miss  Kate  Bonnet,  Kingston,  Ja." 

Dickory  sat  upright,  his  eyes  hard-fixed  and 
burning.  How  long  he  sat  he  knew  not.  How 
long  his  brain  burned  inwardly,  as  his  eyes 
burned  outwardly,  he  knew  not.  The  noise  of 
the  watch  going  on  deck  roused  him,  and  in  a 
moment  he  had  the  letter  in  his  hands. 

All  that  day  Dickory  Charter  was  worth 
nothing  to  anybody.  Blackbeard  swore  at  him 
and  pushed  him  aside.  The  young  fellow  could 
not  even  count  the  doubloons  in  a  bag. 

"  Go  to !  "  cried  the  pirate,  blacker  and  more 
fantastically  horrible  than  ever,  for  his  bare  left 
shoulder  was  bound  with  a  scarf  of  silk  and  his 
great  arm  was  streaked  and  bedabbled  with  his 
blood,  "  you  are  the  most  cursed  coward  I  have 
met  with  in  all  my  days  at  sea.  So  frightened 
out  of  your  wits  by  a  lively  brush  as  that  of  yes- 
terday! Too  scared  to  count  gold!  Never  saw 
I  that  before.  One  might  be  too  scared  to  pray, 
but   to  count  gold!     Ha!  ha!  "   and  the  bold 

248 


THE  ADDRESS  OF  THE  LETTER 

pirate  laughed  a  merry  roar.  He  was  in  good 
spirits;  he  had  captured  and  sunk  an  English 
man-of-war;  sunk  her  with  her  English  ensign 
floating  above  her.  How  it  would  have  over- 
joyed him  if  all  the  ships,  little  and  big,  that 
plied  the  Spanish  Main  could  have  seen  him  sink 
that  man-of-war.  He  was  a  merry  man  that 
morning,  the  great  Blackbeard,  triumphant  in 
victory,  glowing  with  the  king's  brandy,  and 
with  so  little  pain  from  that  cut  in  his  shoulder 
that  he  could  waste  no  thought  upon  it. 

"  But  Eliza  will  like  it  well,"  continued  the 
merry  pirate ;  ' '  she  will  lead  you  with  a  string, 
be  you  bold  or  craven,  and  the  less  you  pull  at 
it  the  easier  it  will  be  for  my  brave  girl.  Ah! 
she  will  dance  with  joy  when  I  tell  her  what  a 
frightened  rabbit  of  a  husband  it  is  that  I  give 
her.  Now  get  awav  somewhere,  and  let  vour 
face  rid  itself  of  its  paleness;  and  should  you 
find  a  dead  man  lying  where  he  has  been  over- 
looked, come  and  tell  me  and  I  will  have  him 
put  aside.  You  must  not  be  frightened  any  more 
or  Eliza  may  find  that  you  have  not  left  even 
the  spirit  of  a  rabbit." 

All  day  Dickory  sat  silent,  his  misery  pinned 
into  the  breast  of  his  coat.  "  Miss  Kate  Bonnet, 
Kingston,  Ja."— and  this  on  a  letter  written  in 
the  dying  moments  of  an  English  captain,  a  high 
and  mighty  captain  who  must  have  loved  as  few 
men  love,  to  write  that  letter,  his  life's  blood  run- 
ning over  the  paper  as  he  wrote.  And  could  a 
"  249 


KATE   BOXXET 

man  love  thus  if  he  were  not  loved?  That  was 
the  terrible  question. 

Sometimes  his  mind  became  quiet  enough  for 
him  to  think  coherently,  then  it  was  easy  enough 
for  him  to  understand  everything.  Kate  had 
been  a  long  time  in  Jamaica ;  she  had  met  many 
people ;  she  had  met  this  man,  this  noble,  hand- 
some man.  Dickory  had  watched  him  with  glow- 
ing admiration  as  he  stood  up  before  Blackbeard, 
fighting  like  the  champion  of  all  good  against 
the  hairy  monster  who  struck  his  blows  for  all 
that  was  base  and  wicked. 

How  Dickory 's  young  heart  had  gone  out  in 
sympathy  and  fellowship  towards  the  brave  Eng- 
lish captain!  How  he  had  hoped  that  the  next 
of  his  quick,  sharp  lunges  might  slit  the  black 
heart  of  the  pirate!  How  he  had  almost  wept 
when  the  noble  Englishman  went  down!  And 
now  it  made  him  shudder  to  think  his  heart  had 
stood  side  by  side  with  the  heart  of  Kate's  lover! 
He  had  sworn  to  deliver  the  letter  of  that  lover, 
and  he  would  do  it.  More  cruel  than  the  bloodi- 
est pirate  was  the  fate  that  forced  him  thus  to 
bear  the  death-warrant  of  his  own  young  life. 


250 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

BELIZE 


I  HERE  were  not  many  captains 
of  merchantmen  in  the  early 
part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
who  cared  to  sail  into  the  Gulf  of  Honduras,  that 
body  of  water  being  such  a  favourite  resort  of 
pirates. 

But  no  such  fears  troubled  the  mind  of  the 
skipper  of  the  brig  Belinda,  which  was  now 
making  the  best  of  her  way  towards  the  port 
of  Belize.  She  was  a  sturdy  vessel  and  carried 
no  prejudices.  Sometimes  she  was  laden  with 
goods  bought  from  the  pirates  and  destined  to 
be  sold  to  honest  people;  and,  again,  she  carried 
commodities  purchased  from  those  who  were 
their  legal  owners  and  intended  for  the  use  of 
the  bold  rascals  who  sailed  under  the  Jolly 
Roger.  Then,  as  now,  it  was  impossible  for 
thieves  to  steal  all  the  commodities  they  desired ; 
some  things  must  be  bought.  Thus,  serving  the 
pirates  as  well  as  honest  traders,  the  sloop  Be- 
linda feared  not  to  sail  the  Gulf  of  Honduras 
or  to  cast  anchor  by  the  fown  of  Belize. 

251 


KATE    BOXXET 

As  the  good  ship  approached  her  port  Kate 
Bonnet  kept  steadfastly  on  deck  during  most  of 
the  daylight,  her  eyes  searching  the  surface  of 
the  water  for  something  which  looked  like  her 
father's  ship,  the  Revenge.  True,  Mr.  New- 
combe  had  written  her  that  Major  Bonnet  had 
given  up  piracy  and  was  now  engaged  in  com- 
mercial business  in  the  town,  but  still,  if  she 
should  see  the  Revenge,  the  sight  would  be  of 
absorbing  interest  to  her.  She  was  a  girl  of 
quick  observation  and  good  memory,  but  the 
town  came  in  view  and  she  had  seen  no  vessel 
which  reminded  her  of  the  Revenge. 

As  soon  as  the  anchor  was  dropped,  Kate 
wished  to  go  on  shore,  but  her  uncle  would  not 
hear  of  that.  He  must  know  something  definite 
before  he  trusted  Kate  or  himself  in  such  a  law- 
less town  as  Belize.  The  captain,  who  was  going 
ashore,  could  make  inquiries,  and  Kate  must 
wait. 

In  a  little  room  at  the  back  of  a  large,  low 
storehouse,  not  far  from  the  pier,  sat  Stede  Bon- 
net and  his  faithful  friend  and  servitor,  Ben 
Greenway.  The  storehouse  was  crowded  with 
goods  of  almost  every  imaginable  description. 
and  even  the  room  back  of  it  contained  an  over- 
flow of  bales,  boxes,  and  barrels.  At  a  small 
table  near  a  window  sat  the  Scotchman  and  Bon- 
net, the  latter  reading  from  some  roughly  writ- 
ten lists  descriptions  and  quantities  of  goods, 
the  value  of  each  item  being  estimated  by  the 

252 


BELIZE 

canny  Scotchman,  who  set  down  the  figures  upon 
another  list.  Presently  Bonnet  put  down  his 
papers  and  heaved  a  heavy  sigh,  which  sigh 
seemed  to  harmonize  very  well  with  his  general 
appearance.  He  carried  no  longer  upon  him  the 
countenance  of  the  bold  officer  who,  in  uniform 
and  flowing  feather,  trod  the  quarter-deck  of  the 
Revenge,  but  bore  the  expression  of  a  man  who 
knew  adversity,  yet  was  not  able  to  humble  him- 
self under  it.  He  was  bent  and  borne  down, 
although  not  yet  broken.  Had  he  been  broken 
he  could  better  have  accommodated  himself  to 
his  present  case.  His  clothes  were  those  of  the 
common  class  of  civilian,  and  there  was  that 
about  him  which  indicated  that  he  cared  no  more 
for  neatness  or  good  looks. 

14  Ben  Greenway,"  he  said,  <k  this  is  too 
much!  Xow  have  I  reached  the  depth  in  my 
sorrow  at  which  all  my  strength  leaves  me.  I 
cannot  read  these  lists." 

The  Scotchman  looked  up.  il  Is  there  no' 
light  enow?  "  he  asked. 

"  Light!  "  said  Bonnet;  "  there  is  no  light 
anywhere:  all  is  murkiness  and  gloom.  The 
goods  which  you  have  been  lately  estimating  are 
all  my  own.  taken  from  my  own  ship  by  that 
arch  traitor  and  chief  devil.  Blackbeard.  I  have 
read  the  names  of  them  to  you  and  I  have  re- 
membered many  of  (hem  and  I  have  not  weak- 
ened, but  now  comes  a  task  which  is  too  great 
for  me.    These  things  which  follow  were  all  in- 

253 


KATE   BONNET 

tended  for  my  daughter  Kate.  Silks  and  satins 
and  cloth  of  gold,  ribbons  and  fine  linen,  laces 
and  ornaments,  all  these  I  selected  for  my  dear 
daughter,  and  by  day  and  by  night  I  have 
thought  of  her  apparelled  in  fine  raiment,  more 
richly  dressed  than  any  lady  in  Barbadoes.  My 
daughter,  my  beautiful,  my  proud  Kate!  And 
now  what  has  it  all  come  to !  All  these  are  gone, 
basely  stolen  from  me  by  that  Blackboard." 

Ben  Greenway  looked  up.  ' l  Wha  stole  from 
ye, ' '  he  said,  ' '  what  ye  had  already  stolen  from 
its  rightful  owners.  An'  think  ye,"  he  contin- 
ued, "  that  your  honest  daughter  Kate  would 
deign  to  array  hersel'  in  stobn  goods,  no  matter 
how  rich  they  might  happen  to  be!  An'  think 
ye  she  could  hold  up  her  head  if  the  good  people 
o'  Bridgetown  could  point  at  her  an'  say,  '  Look 
at  the  thief's  daughter;  how  fine  she  is!  '  An' 
think  ye  that  Mr.  Martin  Newcombe  would  tak' 
into  his  house  an'  hame  a  wife  wha  hadna  come 
honestly  by  her  clothes !  I  tell  ye,  Master  Bon- 
net, that  ye  should  exalt  your  soul  in  thankful- 
ness that  ye  are  no  longer  a  dishonest  mon,  an' 
that  whatever  raiment  your  daughter  may  now 
wear,  no'  a  sleeve  or  button  o'  it  was  purloined 
an'  stolen  by  her  father. ' ' 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  exclaimed  Bonnet,  strik- 
ing his  hand  upon  the  table,  "  you  will  drive 
me  so  mad  that  I  cannot  read  writing!  These 
things  are  bad  enough,  and  you  need  not  make 
them  worse. ' ' 

254 


BELIZE 

"  Bless  Heaven,"  said  the  Scotchman,  "  your 
conscience  is  wakin',  an'  the  time  may  come,  if 
it  is  kept  workm',  when  ye  will  forget  your 
plunder  an'  your  blude,  your  wicked  vanity, 
your  cruelty  an'  your  dishonesty,  an'  mak' 
yoursel'  worthy  o'  a  good  daughter  an'  a  quiet 
hame.  An'  more  than  that,  I  will  tak'  leave 
to  add,  o'  the  faithful  services  o'  a  steadfast 

friend. ' ' 

"  I  cannot  forget  them,  Ben,"  said  Bonnet, 
speaking  without  anger.  "  The  more  you  talk 
about  my  sins  the  more  I  long  to  do  them  all 
over  again ;  the  more  you  say  about  my  vanity 
and  pride,  the  more  I  yearn  to  wear  my  uniform 
and  wave  my  naked  sword.  Ay,  to  bring  it  down 
with  blood  upon  its  blade.  I  am  very  wicked, 
Greenway;  you  never  would  admit  it  and  you 
do  not  admit  it  now,  but  I  am  wicked,  and  I 
could  prove  it  to  you  if  fortune  would  give  me 
opportunity. ' '  And  Captain  Bonnet  sat  up  very 
straight  in  his  chair  and  his  eyes  flashed  as  they 
very  often  had  flashed  as  he  trod  the  deck  of 
the  Revenge. 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door 
and  the  captain  of  the  Belinda  came  in. 

"  Good-day,  sir!  "  said  that  burly  seaman. 
"  And  this  is  Captain  Bonnet,  I  am  sure,  for  I 
have  seen  him  before,  though  garbed  in  another 
fashion,  and  I  come  to  bring  you  news.  I  have 
just  arrived  at  this  port  in  my  sloop,  and  I  bring 
with  me  from  Kingston  your  daughter,  Mistress 

255 


KATE    BONNET 

Kate  Bonnet,  her  uncle,  Mr.  Delaplaine,  and  a 
good  dame  named  Charter. ' ' 

Stede  Bonnet  turned  pale  as  he  had  never 
turned  pale  before. 

' '  My  daughter !  "  he  gasped.  ' '  My  daugh- 
ter Kate!  " 

' '  Yes, ' '  said  the  captain ; ' '  she  is  on  my  ship, 
yearning  and  moaning  to  see  you." 

"  From  Kingston?  "  murmured  Bonnet. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  other,  "  and  on  fire  to  see 
you  since  she  heard  you  were  here." 

i  i  Master  Bonnet, ' '  exclaimed  Ben  Greenway, 
rising,  "  we  must  hasten  to  that  vessel;  perhaps 
this  good  captain  will  now  tak'  us  there  in  his 
boat." 

Bonnet  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  floor.  "  Ben 
Greenway,"  he  said,  "  I  cannot.  How  I  have 
longed  to  see  my  daughter,  and  how,  time  and 
again  and  time  and  again,  I  have  pictured  our 
meeting !  I  have  seen  her  throw  herself  into  the 
arms  of  that  noble  officer,  her  father;  I  have 
heard  her,  bathed  in  filial  tears,  forgive  me 
everything  because  of  the  proud  joy  with  which 
she  looked  on  me  and  knew  I  was  her  father. 
Greenway,  I  cannot  go ;  I  have  dropped  too  low, 
and  I  am  ashamed  to  meet  her. ' ' 

"  Ashamed  that  ye  are  honest?  "  cried  the 
Scotchman.  "  Ashamed  that  sin  nae  longer  be- 
sets ye,  an'  that  ye  are  lifted  above  the  thief  an' 
the  cutpurse?  Master  Bonnet,  Master  Bonnet, 
in  good  truth  I  am  ashamed  o'  ye." 

256 


BELIZE 

' '  Very  well, ' '  said  the  captain  of  the  Belinda, 
"  I  have  no  time  to  waste;  if  you  will  not  go  to 
her,  she  e'en  must  come  to  you.  I  will  send  my 
boat  for  her  and  the  others,  and  you  shall  wait 
for  them  here. ' ' 

"  I  will  not  wait!  "  exclaimed  Bonnet.  "  I 
don't  dare  to  look  into  her  eyes.  Behold  these 
clothes,  consider  my  mean  employment.  Shall 
I  abash  myself  before  my  daughter?  " 

"  Master  Bonnet,"  exclaimed  Greenway, 
hastily  stepping  to  the  doorway  through  which 
the  captain  had  departed,  "  ye  shallna  tie  your- 
seP  to  the  skirts  o'  the  de'il;  ye  shallna  run 
awa'  an'  hide  yoursel'  from  your  daughter  wha 
seeks,  in  tears  an'  groans,  for  her  unworthy 
father.  Sit  down.  Master  Bonnet,  an'  wait  here 
until  your  good  daughter  comes." 

The  Belinda's  captain  had  intended  to  send 
his  boat  back  to  his  vessel,  but  now  he  determined 
to  take  her  himself.  This  was  such  a  strange 
situation  that  it  might  need  explanation. 

Kate  screamed  when  he  made  known  his  er- 
rand. "  What!  "  she  cried,  'k  my  father  in  the 
town,  and  did  he  not  come  back  with  you?  Is 
he  sick  ?    Is  he  wounded  ?    Is  he  in  chains  ?  ' 

"  And  my  Dickory,"  cried  Dame  Charter, 
"  was  he  not  there?  Has  he  not  yet  returned 
to  the  town  ?  It  must  now  be  a  long  time  since 
he  went  away." 

' '  I  know  not  anything  more  than  I  have  told 
you, ' '  said  the  captain.    ' '  And  if  Mr.  Delaplaine 

257 


KATE   BONNET 

and  the  two  ladies  will  get  into  my  boat,  I  will 
quickly  take  you  to  the  town  and  show  you  where 
you  may  find  Captain  Bonnet  and  learn  all  you 
wish  to  know." 

"  And  Dickory,"  cried  Dame  Charter,  "  my 
son  Dickory!  Did  they  give  you  no  news  of 
him!  " 

ik  Come  along,  come  along,"  said  the  captain, 
ik  my  men  are  waiting  in  the  boat.  I  asked  no 
questions,  but  in  ten  minutes  you  can  ask  a  hun- 
dred if  you  like. ' ' 

When  the  little  party  reached  the  town  it  at- 
tracted a  great  deal  of  attention  from  the  rough 
roisterers  who  were  strolling  about  or  gambling 
in  shady  places.  When  the  captain  of  the  Be- 
linda mentioned,  here  and  there,  that  these  new- 
comers were  the  family  of  Blackbeard's  factor, 
who  now  had  charge  of  that  pirate's  interests  in 
the  town,  no  one  dared  to  treat  the  elderly  gen- 
tleman, the  pretty  young  lady,  or  the  rotund  dame 
with  the  slightest  disrespect.  The  name  of  the 
great  pirate  was  ..  safe  protection  even  when  he 
who  bore  it  was  leagues  and  leagues  away. 

At  the  door  of  the  storehouse  Ben  Greenway 
stood  waiting.  He  would  have  hurried  down  to 
the  pier  had  it  not  been  that  he  was  afraid  to 
leave  Bonnet ;  afraid  that  this  shamefaced  ex- 
pirate  would  have  hurried  away  to  hide  himself 
from  his  daughter  and  his  friends.  Kate,  run- 
ning forward,  grasped  the  Scotchman  by  both 
hands. 

258 


BELIZE 

"  And  where  is  he?  "  she  cried. 

"  He  is  in  there, ' '  said  Ben,  pointing  through 
the  storeroom  to  the  open  door  at  the  back.  In 
an  instant  she  was  gone. 

"And  Dickory!  "  cried  Dame  Charter. 
"  Oh,  Ben  Greenway,  tell  me  of  my  boy." 

They  went  inside  and  Greenway  told  every- 
thing he  knew,  which  was  very  much,  although 
it  was  not  enough  to  comfort  the  poor  mother's 
heart,  who  could  not  readily  believe  that  because 
Dickory  had  sailed  away  with  a  great  and  pow- 
erful pirate,  that  eminent  man  would  be  sure  to 
bring  him  back  in  safety ;  but  as  Greenway  really 
believed  this,  his  words  made  some  imp  ession 
on  the  good  dame's  heart.  She  could  see  some 
reason  to  believe  that  Blackboard,  having  now 
so  much  property  in  the  town,  might  make  a 
short  cruise  this  time,  and  that  any  day  the  Re- 
venge, with  her  dear  son  on  board,  might  come 
sailing  into  port. 

With  his  face  buried  in  his  folded  arms,  which 
rested  on  the  table.  Stpde  Bonnet  received  his 
daughter.  At  first  she  did  not  recognise  him. 
never  having  seen  him  in  such  mean  apparel ;  but 
when  he  raised  his  head,  she  knew  her  father. 
Closing  the  door  behind  her,  she  folded  him  in 
her  arms.  After  a  little,  leaving  the  window, 
they  sat  together  upon  a  bale  of  goods,  which 
happened  to  be  a  rug  from  the  Orient,  of  won- 
drous richness,  which  Bonnet  had  reserved  for 
the  floor  of  his  daughter 's  room. 

259 


KATE   BONNET 

"  Never,  my  dear,"  he  said,  "  did  I  dream 
you  would  see  me  in  such  plight.  I  blush  that 
you  should  look  at  me. ' ' 

"  Blush!  "  she  exclaimed,  her  own  cheeks 
reddening,  "  and  you  an  honest  man  and  no 
longer  a  freebooter  and  rover  of  the  sea?  My 
heart  swells  with  pride  to  think  that  your  life 
is  so  changed." 

Bonnet  sadly  shook  his  head. 
'  *  Ah !  "he  said,  *  *  you  don 't  know,  you  can- 
not understand  what  I  feel.  Kate, ' '  he  exclaimed 
with  sudden  energy,  ' '  I  was  a  man  among  men ; 
a  chief  over  many.  I  was  powerful,  I  was  obeyed 
on  every  side.  I  looked  the  bold  captain  that 
I  was ;  my  brave  unif orm  and  my  sword  betok- 
ened the  rank  I  held.  And,  Kate,  you  can  never 
know  the  pride  and  exultation  with  which  I  stood 
upon  my  quarter-deck  and  scanned  the  sea,  mas- 
ter of  all  that  might  come  within  my  vision.  How 
my  heart  would  swell  and  my  blood  run  wild 
when  I  beheld  in  the  distance  a  proud  ship,  her 
sails  all  spread,  her  colours  flying,  heavily  laden, 
hastening  onward  to  her  port.  How  I  would 
stretch  out  my  arm  to  that  proud  ship  and  say : 
'  Let  down  those  sails,  drop  all  those  flaunting 
flags,  for  you  are  mine ;  I  am  greater  than  your 
captain  or  your  king!  If  I  give  the  command, 
down  you  go  to  the  bottom  with  all  your  people, 
all  your  goods,  all  your  banners  and  emblazon- 
ments, down  to  the  bottom,  never  to  be  seen 
again!  '  " 

260 


BELIZE 

Kate  shuddered  and  began  to  cry.  "Oh, 
father !  "  she  exclaimed, ' '  don 't  say  that.  Sure- 
ly you  never  did  such  things  as  that  i  ' ' 

'  *  Xo, ' '  said  he,  speaking  more  quietly,  ' '  not 
just  like  that,  but  I  could  have  done  it  all  had 
it  pleased  me,  and  it  was  this  sense  of  power 
that  made  my  heart  beat  so  proudly.  I  took  no 
life,  Kate,  if  it  could  be  helped,  and  when  I  had 
stripped  a  ship  of  her  goods,  I  put  her  people 
upon  shore  before  I  burned  her. ' ' 

Kate  bowed  her  head  in  her  hands.  "  And 
of  all  this  you  are  proud,  my  father,  you  are 
proud  of  it !  " 

"  Indeed  am  I,  daughter,"  said  he;  "  and 
had  you  seen  me  in  my  glory  you  would  have 
been  proud  of  me.    Perhaps  yet " 

In  an  instant  she  had  clapped  her  hand  over 
his  mouth.  ' '  You  shall  not  say  it !  "  she  ex- 
claimed. "  I  have  seized  upon  you  and  I  shall 
hold  you.  Xo  more  freebooter's  life  for  you ;  no 
more  blood,  no  more  fire.  I  shall  take  you  away 
with  me.  Xot  to  Bridgetown,  for  there  is  no 
happiness  for  either  of  us  there,  but  to  Spanish 
Town.  There,  with  my  uncle,  we  shall  all  be 
happy  together.  You  will  forget  the  sea  and  its 
ships ;  you  will  again  wander  over  your  fields, 
and  I  shall  be  with  you.  You  shall  watch  the 
waving  crops:  you  shall  ride  with  me,  as  you 
used  to  ride,  to  view  your  vast  herds  of  cattle— 
those  splendid  creatures,  their  great  heads  up- 
lifted, their  nostrils  to  the  breeze." 

261 


KATE   BONNET 


i  c 


Truly,  my  Kate,"  said  Bonnet,  "  that  was 
a  great  sight;  there  were  no  cattle  finer  on  the 
island  than  were  mine. ' ' 

"  And  so  shall  they  be  again,  my  father," 
said  Kate,  her  arms  around  his  neck. 

It  was  then  that  Ben  Greenway  knocked 
upon  the  door. 

Stede  Bonnet's  mind  had  been  so  much  ex- 
cited by  what  he  had  been  talking  about  that  he 
saluted  his  brother-in-law  and  Dame  Charter 
without  once  thinking  of  his  clothes.  They 
looked  upon  him  as  if  he  were  some  unknown 
foreigner,  a  person  entirely  removed  from  their 
customary  sphere. 

"  Was  this  the  once  respectable  Stede  Bon- 
net? "  asked  Dame  Charter  to  herself.  "  Did 
such  a  man  marry  my  sister !  ' '  thought  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine.  They  might  have  been  surprised  had 
they  met  him  as  a  pirate,  but  his  appearance  as 
a  pirate's  clerk  amazed  them. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  day  Mr.  Delaplaine 
and  his  party  returned  to  the  Belinda,  for  there 
was  no  fit  place  for  them  to  lodge  in  the  town. 
Although  urged  by  all,  Stede  Bonnet  would  not 
accompany  them.  When  persuasion  had  been 
exhausted,  Ben  Greenway  promised  Kate  that 
he  would  be  responsible  for  her  father 's  'appear- 
ance the  next  day,  feeling  safe  in  so  doing;  for, 
even  should  Bonnet's  shame  return,  there  was 
no  likely  way  in  which  he  could  avoid  his  friends. 


262 


CHAPTER   XXV 


WISE    MR.    DELAPLAIXE 


ARLY  in  the  next  forenoon 
Kate  and  her  companions  pre- 
pared to  make  another  visit  to 
the  town.  Naturally  she  wanted  to  be  with  her 
father  as  much  as  possible  and  to  exert  upon  him 
such  influences  as  might  make  him  forget,  in  a 
degree,  the  so-called  glories  of  his  pirate  life  and 
return  with  her  and  her  uncle  to  Spanish  Town, 
where,  she  believed,  this  misguided  man  might 
yet  surrender  himself  to  the  rural  joys  of  other 
days.  Nay,  more,  he  and  she  might  hope  for 
still  further  happiness  in  a  Jamaica  home,  for 
Madam  Bonnet  would  not  be  there. 

As  she  came  up  from  below,  impatient  to  de- 
part, Kate  noticed,  getting  over  the  side,  a  gentle- 
man who  had  just  arrived  in  a  small  boat.  He 
was  tall  and  good-looking,  and  very  handsomely 
attired  in  a  rich  suit  such  as  was  worn  at  that 
day  by  French  and  Spanish  noblemen.  A  sword 
with  an  elaborate  hilt  was  by  his  side,  and  on 
his  head  a  high  cocked  hat.    There  was  fine  lace 

263 


KATE   BONNET 

at  liis  wrists  and  bosom,  and  he  wore  silk  stock- 
ings, and  silver  buckles  on  his  shoes. 

Kate  started  at  meeting  here  a  stranger,  and 
in  such  an  elaborate  attire.  She  had  read  of 
the  rich  dress  of  men  of  rank  in  Europe,  but  her 
eyes  had  never  fallen  upon  such  a  costume.  The 
gentleman  advanced  quickly  towards  her,  hold- 
ing out  his  hand.  She  shrank  back.  "  What 
did  it  mean?  " 

Then  in  a  second  she  saw  her  father's  face. 
This  fine  gentleman,  this  dignified  and  graceful 
man,  was  indeed  Stede  Bonnet. 

He  had  been  so  thoroughly  ashamed  of  his 
mean  attire  on  the  preceding  day  that  he  had  de- 
termined not  again  to  meet  his  daughter  and  Mr. 
Delaplaine  in  such  vulgar  guise.  So,  from  the 
resources  of  the  storehouses  he  had  drawn  forth 
a  superb  suit  of  clothes  sent  westward  for  the 
governor  of  one  of  the  French  colonies.  He  ex- 
cused himself  for  taking  it  from  Blackbeard's 
treasure-house,  not  only  on  account  of  the  de- 
mands of  the  emergency,  but  because  he  him- 
self had  taken  it  before  from  a  merchantman. 

"  Father!  "  cried  Kate,  "  what  has  hap- 
pened to  you?  I  never  saw  such  a  fine  gentle- 
man. ' ' 

Bonnet  smiled  with  complacency,  and  re- 
moved his  cocked  hat. 

"  I  always  endeavour,  my  dear,"  said  he, 
' '  to  dress  myself  according  to  my  station.  Yes- 
terday, not  expecting  to  see  you,  I  was  in  a  sad 

264 


WISE    MR.    DELAPLAIXE 

plight.  I  would  have  preferred  you  to  meet  me 
in  my  naval  uniform,  but  as  that  is  now,  to  say 
the  least,  inconvenient,  and  as  I  reside  on  shore 
in  the  capacity  of  a  merchant  or  business  man, 
I  attire  myself  to  suit  my  present  condition.  Ah ! 
my  good  brother-in-law,  I  am  glad  to  see  you. 
I  may  remark,"  he  added,  graciously  shaking 
hands  with  Dame  Charter, ' '  that  I  left  my  faith- 
ful Scotchman  in  our  storehouse  in  the  town,  it 
being  necessary  for  some  one  to  attend  to  our 
possessions  there.  Otherwise  I  should  have 
brought  him  with  me,  my  good  Dame  Charter, 
for  I  am  sure  you  would  have  found  his  com- 
pany acceptable.  He  is  a  faithful  man  and  an 
honest  one,  although  I  am  bound  to  say  that  if 
he  were  less  of  a  Presbyterian  and  more  of  a  man 
of  the  world  his  conversation  might  sometimes 
be  more  agreeable. ' ' 

Mr.  Delaplaine  regarded  with  much  earnest- 
ness and  no  little  pleasure  his  transformed 
brother-in-law.  Hope  for  the  future  now  filled 
his  heart.  If  this  crack-brained  sugar-planter 
had  really  recovered  from  his  mania  for  piracy 
and  had  a  fancy  for  legitimate  business,  his  new 
station  might  be  better  for  him  than  any  he  had 
yet  known.  Sugar-planting  was  all  well  enough 
and  suitable  to  any  gentleman,  provided  Madam 
Bonnet  were  not  taken  with  it.  She  would  drive 
any  man  from  the  paths  of  reason  unless  he 
possessed  an  uncommonly  strong  brain,  and  he 
did  not  believe  that  such  a  brain  was  possessed 
18  265 


KATE   BOXNET 

by  his  brother-in-law  Bonnet.  The  good  Mr. 
Delaplaine  rubbed  his  hands  together  in  his  sat- 
isfaction. Such  a  gentleman  as  this  would  be 
welcome  in  his  counting-house,  even  if  he  did 
but  little;  his  very  appearance  would  reflect 
credit  upon  the  establishment.  Dame  Charter 
kept  in  the  background;  she  had  never  been  ac- 
customed to  associate  with  the  aristocracy,  but 
she  did  not  forget  that  a  cat  may  look  at  a  king, 
and  her  eves  were  verv  good. 

"  There  were  always  little  cracks  in  his 
skull, ' '  she  said  to  herself.  ' '  My  husband  used 
to  tell  me  that.  Major  Bonnet  is  quick  at  chang- 
ing from  one  thing  to  another,  and  it  needs  sharp 
wits  to  follow  him." 

After  a  time  Major  Bonnet  proposed  a  row 
upon  the  harbour— he  had  brought  a  large  boat, 
with  four  oarsmen,  for  this  purpose.  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine objected  a  little  to  this,  fearing  the  pres- 
ence of  so  many  pirate  vessels,  but  Bonnet  loftily 
set  aside  such  puerile  objections. 

"  I  am  the  business  representative  of  the 
great  Blackbeard,"  he  said,  "  the  most  powerful 
pirate  in  the  world.  You  are  safer  here  than  in 
any  other  port  on  the  American  coast." 

When  they  were  out  upon  the  water,  moving 
against  the  gentle  breeze,  Bonnet  disclosed  the 
object  of  his  excursion.  "  I  am  going  to  take 
you, ' '  said  he,  ' '  to  visit  some  of  the  noted  pirate 
ships  which  are  anchored  in  this  harbour.  There 
are  vessels  here  which  are  quite  famous,  and 

266 


WISE    MR.    DELAPLAINE 

commanded  by  renowned  Brethren  of  the  Coast. 
I  think  you  will  all  be  greatly  interested  in 
these,  and  under  my  convoy  you  need  fear  no 
danger. ' ' 

Dame  Charter  and  Kate  screamed  in  their 
fright,  and  Mr.  Delaplaine  turned  pale.  "  Visit 
pirate  ships !  "he  cried.  ' '  Rather  I  would  have 
supposed  that  you  would  keep  away  from  them 
as  far  as  you  could.  For  myself,  I  would  have 
them  a  hundred  miles  distant  if  it  were  possi- 
ble. " 

Bonnet  laughed  loftily.  ' '  It  will  be  visits  of 
ceremony  that  we  shall  pay,  and  with  all  due 
ceremony  shall  we  be  received.  Pull  out  to  that 
vessel !  "he  said  to  the  oarsmen.  Then,  turning 
to  the  others,  he  remarked:  "  That  sloop  is  the 
Dripping  Blade,  commanded  by  Captain  Sorby, 
whose  name  strikes  terror  throughout  the  Span- 
ish Main.  Ay!  and  in  other  parts  of  the  ocean, 
I  can  assure  you,  for  he  has  sailed  northward 
nearly  as  far  as  I  have,  but  he  has  not  yet 
rivalled  me.  I  know  him,  having  done  business 
with  him  on  shore.  He  is  a  most  portentous 
person,  as  you  will  soon  see." 

"  Oh,  father!  "  cried  Kate,  "  don't  take  us 
there ;  it  will  kill  us  just  to  look  upon  such  dread- 
ful pirates.    I  pray  you  turn  the  boat !  ' ' 

"  Oh!  if  Dickory  were  here,"  gasped  Dame 
Charter,  "  he  would  turn  the  boat  himself;  he 
would  never  allow  me  to  be  taken  among  those 
awful  wretches." 

267 


KATE   BONNET 

Mr.  Delaplaine  said  nothing.  It  was  too  late 
to  expostulate,  but  he  trembled  as  he  sat. 

1 '  I  cannot  turn  back,  my  dear, ' '  said  Bonnet, 
"  even  if  I  would,  for  the  great  Sorby  is  now 
on  deck,  and  looking  at  us  as  we  approach. ' ' 

As  the  boat  drew  up  by  the  side  of  the  Drip- 
ping Blade  the  renowned  Sorby  looked  down 
over  the  side.  He  was  a  red-headed  man;  his 
long  hair  and  beard  dyed  yellow  in  some  places 
by  the  sun.  He  was  grievous  to  look  upon,  and 
like  to  create  in  the  mind  of  an  imaginative  per- 
son the  image  of  a  sun-burned  devil  on  a  holiday. 

"  Good-day  to  you!  Good-day,  Sir  Bonnet/ ' 
cried  the  pirate  captain ;  ' '  come  on  board,  come 
on  board,  all  of  you,  wife,  daughter,  father,  if 
such  they  be !  We  '11  let  down  ladders  and  I  shall 
feast  you  finely. ' ' 

"  Nay,  nay,  good  Captain  Sorby/'  replied 
Bonnet,  with  courteous  dignity,  "  my  family  and 
I  have  just  stopped  to  pay  you  our  respects. 
They  have  all  heard  of  your  great  prowess,  for 
I  have  told  them.  They  may  never  have  a  chance 
again  to  look  upon  another  of  your  fame. ' ' 

11  Heaven  grant  it!  "  said  Dame  Charter  in 
her  heart.  "  If  I  get  out  of  this,  I  stay  upon 
dry  land  forever." 

' '  I  grieve  that  my  poor  ship  be  not  honoured 
by  your  ladies,"  said  Sorby,  "  but  I  admit  that 
her  decks  are  scarcely  fit  for  the  reception  of  such 
company.  It  is  but  to-day  that  we  have  found 
time  to  cleanse  her  deck  from  the  stain  and  dis- 

268 


WISE    MR.    DELAPLAINE 

order  of  our  last  fight,  having  lately  come  into 
harbour.  That  was  a  great  fight,  Sir  Bonnet; 
we  lay  low  and  let  the  fellows  board  us,  but  not 
one  of  them  went  back  again.  Ha!  ha!  Not 
one  of  them  went  back  again,  good  ladies." 

Every  pirate  face  on  board  that  ill-condi- 
tioned sloop  now  glared  over  her  rail,  their  eyes 
fixed  upon  the  goodly  company  in  the  little  boat, 
their  horrid  hair  and  beards  stained  and  matted 
—  it  would  have  been  hard  to  tell  by  what, 

' '  Oh,  father,  father !  ' '  panted  Kate,  ' '  please 
row  away.  What  if  they  should  now  jump  down 
upon  us  ?  " 

"  Good-day,  good-day,  my  brave  Captain 
Sorby,"  said  Bonnet,  "  we  must  e'en  row  away; 
we  have  other  craft  to  visit,  but  would  first  do 
honour  to  you  and  your  bold  crew. ' ' 

Captain  Sorby  lifted  high  his  great  bespat- 
tered hat,  and  every  grinning  demon  of  the  crew 
waved  hat  or  rag  or  pail  or  cutlass  and  set  up 
a  discordant  yell  in  honour  of  their  departing 
visitors. 

"  Oh!  go  not  to  another,  father,"  pleaded 
Kate,  her  pale  face  in  tears ;  ' '  visit  no  more  of 
them,  I  pray  you!  " 

"  Ay,  truly,  keep  away  from  them,"  said 
Mr.  Delaplaine.  "  I  am  no  coward,  but  I  vow 
to  you  that  I  shall  die  of  fright  if  I  come  close 
to  another  of  those  floating  hells." 

"  And  these,"  said  Kate  to  herself,  her  eyes 
fixed  out  over  the  sea,  "  these  are  his  friends, 

269 


KATE    BONNET 

his  companions,  the  wretches  of  whom  he  is  so 
proud. ' ' 

"  There  are  no  more  vessels  like  that  in 
port, ' '  said  Bonnet ;  ' '  that 's  the  most  celebrated 
sloop.  Those  we  shall  now  call  upon  are  com- 
manded by  men  of  milder  mien;  some  of  them 
you  could  not  tell  from  plain  merchantmen  were 
you  not  informed  of  their  illustrious  careers." 

' '  If  you  go  near  another  pirate  ship, ' '  cried 
Dame  Charter,  "  I  shall  jump  overboard;  I  can- 
not help  it." 

"  Bow  back  to  the  Belinda,  brother-in-law," 
said  Mr.  Delaplaine  in  a  strong,  hard  voice; 
"  your  tour  of  pleasure  is  not  fit  for  tender- 
hearted women,  nor,  I  grant  it,  for  gentlemen 
of  my  station. ' ' 

"  There  are  other  ships  whose  captains  I 
know,"  said  Bonnet,  "  and  where  you  would 
have  been  well  received;  but  if  your  nerves  are 
not  strong  enough  for  the  courtesies  I  have  to 
offer,  we  will  return  to  the  Belinda. ' ' 

When  safe  again  on  board  their  vessel,  after 
the  sudden  termination  of  their  projected  tour 
of  calls  on  pirates,  Kate  took  her  father  aside 
and  entered  into  earnest  conversation  with  him, 
while  Mr.  Delaplaine,  much  ruffled  in  his  temper, 
although  in  general  of  a  most  mild  disposition, 
said  aside  to  Dame  Charter:  "  He  is  as  mad  as 
a  March  hare.  What  other  parent  on  this  earth 
would  convey  his  fair  young  daughter  into  the 
society  of  these  vile  wild  leasts,  which  in  his  eyes 

270 


WISE    MR.    DELAPLAIXE 

are  valiant  heroes !  "We  must  get  him  back  with 
us,  Dame  Charter,  we  must  get  him  back.  And  if 
he  cannot  be  constrained  by  love  and  goodwill 
to  a  decent  and  a  Christian  life,  we  must  shut 
him  up.  And  if  his  daughter  weeps  and  raves, 
we  must  e'en  stiffen  our  determination  and  shut 
him  up.  It  shall  be  my  purpose  now  to  hasten 
the  return  of  the  brig.  There 's  room  enough  for 
all,  and  he  and  the  Scotchman  must  go  back 
with  us.  The  Governor  shall  deal  with  him; 
and,  whether  it  be  on  my  estate  or  behind  strong 
bars,  he  shall  spend  the  rest  of  his  days  upon 
the  island  of  Jamaica,  and  so  know  the  sea  no 
more. ' ' 

He  was  very  much  roused,  this  good  mer- 
chant, and  when  he  was  roused  he  was  not  slow 
to  act. 

The  captain  of  the  Belinda  was  very  willing 
to  make  a  profitable  voyage  back  to  Jamaica, 
but  his  vessel  must  be  well  laden  before  he  could 
do  this.  Goods  enough  there  were  at  Belize  for 
that  purpose,  for  Blackbeard's  supplies  were  all 
for  sale,  and  his  chief  clerk,  Bonnet,  had  the 
selling  of  them.  So.  all  parties  being  like- 
minded,  the  Belinda  soon  began  to  take  on  goods 
for  Kingston. 

Stede  Bonnet  superintended  everything.  He 
was  a  good  man  of  business,  and  knew  how  to 
direct  people  who  might  be  under  him.  There 
was  a  great  stir  at  the  storehouse,  and,  almost 
blithely,  Ben  Greenway  worked  day  and  night 

271 


KATE    BOXXET 

to  make  out  invoices  and  to  prepare  goods  for 
shipment. 

Bonnet  wore  no  more  the  clothes  in  which 
his  daughter  had  first  seen  him  after  so  long  and 
drear  a  parting.  On  deck  or  on  shore,  in  store- 
house or  on  the  streets  of  Belize,  he  was  the 
fine  gentleman  with  the  silk  stockings  and  the 
tall  cocked  hat. 

One  day,  a  fellow,  fresh  from  his  bottle,  for- 
getting the  respect  which  was  due  to  fine  clothes 
and  to  Blackbeard's  factor,  called  out  to  Bon- 
net: "  What  now,  Sir  Nightcap,  how  call  you 
that  thing  you  have  on  your  head  ?  ' ' 

In  an  instant  a  sword  was  whipped  from  its 
scabbard  and  a  practised  hand  sent  its  blade 
through  the  ami  of  the  jester,  who  presently  fell 
backward.  Bonnet  wiped  his  sword  upon  the 
fellow's  sleeve  and,  advising  him  to  get  up  and 
try  to  learn  some  manners,  coolly  walked  away. 

After  that  fine  clothes  were  not  much  laughed 
at  in  Belize,  for  even  the  most  disrespectful  ruf- 
fians desired  not  the  thrust  of  a  quick  blade  nor 
the  ill-will  of  that  most  irascible  pirate,  Black- 
beard. 

A  few  days  before  it  was  expected  that  the 
Belinda  would  be  ready  to  sail  Bonnet  came  on 
board,  his  mind  full  of  an  important  matter. 
Calling  Mr.  Delaplaine  and  Kate  aside,  he  said : 
' '  I  have  been  thinking  a  great  deal  lately  about 
my  Scotchman,  Ben  Greenway.  In  the  first 
place,  he  is  greatly  needed  here,  for  many  of 

272 


WISE    MR.    DELAPLAIXE 

Blackbeard's  goods  will  remain  in  the  storehouse, 
and  there  should  be  some  competent  person  to 
take  care  of  them  and  to  sell  them  should  oppor- 
tunity offer.  Besides  that,  he  is  a  great  annoy- 
ance to  me,  and  I  have  long  been  trying  to  get 
rid  of  him.  When  I  left  Bridgetown  I  had  not 
intended  to  take  him  with  me,  and  his  presence 
on  board  my  ship  was  a  mere  accident.  Since 
then  he  has  made  himself  very  disagreeable." 

"  What!  f1  cried  Kate,  "  would  you  be  will- 
ing that  we  should  all  sail  away  and  leave  poor 
Ben  Greenway  in  this  place  by  himself  among 
these  cruel  pirates !  ' ' 

"  He'll  represent  Blackbeard, "  said  Bonnet, 
"  and  no  one  will  harm  him.  And,  moreover, 
this  enforced  stay  may  be  of  the  greatest  benefit 
to  him.  He  has  a  good  head  for  business,  and 
he  may  establish  himself  here  in  a  very  profitable 
fashion  and  go  back  to  Barbadoes,  if  he  so  de- 
sires, in  comfortable  circumstances.  All  we  have 
to  do  is  to- slip  our  anchor  and  sail  away  at  some 
moment  when  he  is  busy  in  the  town.  I  will  leave 
ample  instructions  for  him  and  he  shall  have 
money. ' ' 

"  Father,  it  would  be  shameful!  "  said 
Kate. 

Mr.  Delaplaine  said  nothing;  he  was  too 
angry  to  speak,  but  he  made  up  his  mind  that 
Ben  Greenway  should  be  apprised  of  Bonnet's 
intentions  of  running  away  from  him  and  that 
such  a  wicked  design  should  be  thwarted.    This 

273 


KATE   BONNET 

brother-in-law  of  his  was  a  worse  man  than  he 
had  thought  him ;  he  was  capable  of  being  false 
even  to  his  best  friend.  He  might  be  mad  as  a 
March  hare,  but,  truly,  he  was  also  as  sly  and 
crafty  as  a  fox  in  any  month  in  the  year. 

Wise  Mr.  Delaplaine! 

The  very  next  morning  there  came  a  letter 
from  Stede  Bonnet  to  his  daughter  Kate,  in 
which  he  told  her  that  it  was  absolutely  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  return  to  the  humdrum  and  stupid 
life  of  sugar-planting  and  cattle-raising.  Hav- 
ing tasted  the  glories  of  a  pirate's  career,  he 
could  never  again  be  contented  with  plain  coun- 
try pursuits.  So  he  was  off  and  away,  the  bound- 
ing sea  beneath  him  and  the  brave  Jolly  Roger 
floating  over  his  head.  He  would  not  tell  his  dear 
daughter  where  he  was  gone  or  what  he  intended 
to  do,  for  she  would  be  happier  if  she  did  not 
know.  He  sent  her  his  warmest  love,  and  de- 
sired to  be  most  kindly  remembered  to  her  uncle 
and  to  Dame  Charter.  He  would  make  it  his 
business  that  a  correspondence  should  be  main- 
tained between  him  and  his  dear  Kate,  and  he 
hoped  from  time  to  time  to  send  her  presents 
which  would  help  her  to  know  how  constantly 
he  loved  her.  He  concluded  by  admitting  that 
what  he  had  said  about  Ben  Greenway  was  mere- 
ly a  blind  to  turn  their  suspicions  from  his  in- 
tended departure.  If  his  good  brother-in-law, 
out  of  kindness  to  the  Scotchman,  had  brought 
him  to  the  Belinda  and  had  insisted  on  keeping 

274 


WISE    MR.    DELAPLAINE 

him  there,  it  would  have  made  his,  Bonnet's, 
secret  departure  a  great  deal  easier. 

Kate  had  never  fainted  in  her  life,  but  when 
she  had  finished  this  letter  she  went  down  flat 
on  her  back. 

Leaving  his  niece  to  the  good  offices  of  Dame 
Charter,  Mr.  Delaplaine,  breathing  hotly,  went 
ashore,  accompanied  by  the  captain.  When  they 
reached  the  storehouse  they  found  it  locked,  with 
the  key  in  the  custody  of  a  shop-keeper  near-by. 
They  soon  heard  what  had  happened  to  Black- 
beard's  business  agent.  He  had  gone  off  in  a 
piratical  vessel,  which  had  sailed  for  somewhere, 
in  the  middle  of  the  night;  and,  moreover,  it 
was  believed  that  the  Scotchman  who  worked  for 
him  had  gone  with  him,  for  he  had  been  seen 
running  towards  the  water,  and  afterward  taking 
his  place  among  the  oarsmen  in  a  boat  which 
went  out  to  the  departing  vessel. 

"  May  that  unholy  vessel  be  sunk  as  soon  as 
it  reaches  the  open  sea !  ' '  was  the  deadly  desire 
which  came  from  the  heart  of  Mr.  Delaplaine. 
But  the  wish  had  not  formed  itself  into  words 
before  the  good  merchant  recanted.  "  I  totally 
forgot  that  faithful  Scotchman,"  he  sighed. 


275 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

DICKORY    STRETCHES    HIS    LEGS 


HERE  were  jolly  times  on 
board  the  swift  ship  Revenge 
as  she  sped  through  the  straits 
of  Florida  on  her  way  up  the  Atlantic  coast. 
The  skies  were  bright,  the  wind  was  fair,  and  the 
warm  waters  of  the  Gulf  Stream  helped  to  carry 
her  bravely  on  her  way.  But  young  Dickory 
Charter,  with  the  blood-stained  letter  of  Captain 
Vince  tucked  away  in  the  lining  of  his  coat,  ate 
so  little,  tossed  about  so  much  in  his  berth,  turned 
so  pale  and  spoke  so  seldom,  that  the  bold  Cap- 
tain Blackbeard  declared  that  he  should  have 
some  medicine. 

' '  I  shall  not  let  my  fine  lieutenant  suffer  for 
want  of  drugs,"  he  cried,  "  and  when  I  reach 
Charles  Town  I  shall  send  ashore  a  boat  and 
procure  some;  and  if  the  citizens  disturb  or  in- 
terfere with  my  brave  fellows,  I'll  bombard  the 
town.  There  will  be  medicine  to  take  on  one 
side  or  the  other,  I  swear. ' '  And  loud  and  ready 
were  the  oaths  he  swore. 

A  pirate  who  carries  with  him  an  intended 

276 


DICKORT   STRETCHES   HIS   LEGS 

son-in-law  is  not  likely,  if  he  be  of  Blackbeard's 
turn  of  mind,  to  suffer  all  his  family  plans  to 
be  ruined  for  the  want  of  a  few  drugs. 

When  Dickory  heard  what  the  captain  had 
to  say  on  this  subject  his  heart  shrank  within 
him.  He  had  never  taken  medicine  and  he  had 
never  seen  Blackbeard's  daughter,  but  the  one 
seemed  to  him  almost  as  bad  as  the  other,  and 
the  thought  of  the  cool  waves  beneath  him  be- 
came more  attractive  than  ever  before.  But  that 
thought  was  quickly  banished,  for  he  had  a  duty 
before  him,  and  not  until  that  was  performed 
could  he  take  leave  of  this  world,  once  so  bright 
to  him. 

An  island  with  palm-trees  slowly  rose  on  the 
horizon,  and  off  this  island  it  was  that,  after  a 
good  deal  of  tacking  and  close-hauling,  the  Re- 
venge lay  to  to  take  in  water.  Far  better  water 
than  that  which  had  been  brought  from  Belize. 

"  Do  you  want  to  go  ashore  in  the  boat, 
boy!  "  said  Blackbeard,  really  mindful  of  the 
health  of  this  projected  member  of  his  family. 
"  It  may  help  your  appetite  to  use  your  legs." 

Dickory  did  not  care  to  go  anywhere,  but  he 
had  hardly  said  so  when  a  revulsion  of  feeling 
came  upon  him,  and  turning  away  so  that  his 
face  might  not  be  noticed,  he  said  he  thought 
the  land  air  might  do  him  good.  While  the  men 
were  at  work  carrying  their  pails  from  the  well- 
known  spring  to  the  water-barrels  in  the  boat, 
Dickorv  strolled  about  to  view  the  scenery,  for 

277 


KATE    BONNET 

it  could  never  have  been  expected  that  a  first 
lieutenant  in  uniform  should  help  to  carry  water. 
At  first  the  scenery  did  not  appear  to  be  very 
interesting,  and  Diekory  wandered  slowly  from 
here  to  there,  then  sat  down  under  a  tree.  Pres- 
ently he  rose  and  went  to  another  tree,  a  little 
farther  away  from  the  boat  and  the  men  at  the 
spring.  Here  he  quietly  took  off  his  shoes  and 
his  stockings,  and,  having  nothing  else  to  do, 
made  a  little  bundle  of  them,  listlessly  tying 
them  to  his  belt ;  then  he  rose  and  walked  away 
somewhat  brisker,  but  not  in  the  direction  of  the 
boat.  He  did  not  hurry,  but  even  stopped  some- 
times to  look  at  things,  but  he  still  walked  a 
little  briskly,  and  always  away  from  the  boat. 
He  had  been  so  used,  this  child  of  outdoor  life, 
to  going  about  the  world  barefooted,  that  it  was 
no  wonder  that  he  walked  briskly,  being  relieved 
of  his  encumbering  shoes  and  stockings. 

After  a  time  he  heard  a  shout  behind  him, 
and  turning  saw  three  men  of  the  boat's  crew 
upon  a  little  eminence,  calling  to  him.  Then  he 
moved  more  quickly,  always  away  from  the  boat, 
id  with  his  head  turned  he  saw  the  men  run- 
ning towards  him,  and  their  shouts  became  loud- 
er and  wilder.  Then  he  set  off  on  a  good  run, 
and  presently  heard  a  pistol  shot.  This  he  knew 
was  to  frighten  him  and  make  him  stop,  but  he 
ran  the  faster  and  soon  turned  the  corner  of  a 
bit  of  woods.  Then  he  was  away  at  the  top  of 
his  speed,  making  for  a  jungle  of  foliage  not  a 

273 


DICKORY   STRETCHES   HIS   LEGS 

quarter  of  a  mile  before  him.  Shouts  he  heard, 
and  more  shots,  but  he  caught  sight  of  uo  pur- 
suers. Urged  on  even  as  they  were  by  the  fear 
of  returning  to  the  ship  without  Dickory,  they 
could  not  expect  to  match,  in  their  heavy  boots, 
the  stag-like  speed  of  this  barefooted  bounder. 

After  a  time  Dickory  stopped  running,  for 
his  path,  always  straight  away,  so  far  as  he  could 
judge,  from  the  landing-place,  became  very  diffi- 
cult. In  the  forest  there  were  streams,  sometimes 
narrow  and  sometimes  wide,  and  how  deep  he 
knew  not,  so  that  now  he  jumped,  now  he  walked 
on  fallen  trees.  Sometimes  he  crossed  water  and 
marsh  by  swinging  himself  from  the  limbs  of 
one  tree  to  those  of  another.  This  was  hard  work 
for  a  young  gentleman  in  a  naval  uniform  and 
cocked  hat,  but  it  had  to  be  done ;  and  when  the 
hat  was  knocked  off  it  was  picked  up  again,  with 
its  feathers  dripping. 

Dickory  was  going  somewhere,  although  he 
knew  not  whither,  and  he  had  solemn  business 
to  perform  which  he  had  sworn  to  do,  and  there- 
fore he  must  have  fit  clothes  to  wear,  not  only 
in  which  to  travel  but  in  which  to  present  him- 
self suitably  when  he  should  accomplish  his  mis- 
sion. All  these  things  Dickory  thought  of.  and 
he  picked  up  his  cocked  hat  whenever  it  dropped. 
He  would  iiave  been  very  hungry  had  he  not 
bethought  himself  to  fill  his  pockets  with  biscuits 
before  he  left  the  vessel.  And  as  to  fresh  water, 
there  was  no  lack  of  that. 

279 


CHAPTER   XXVII 


A   GIRL   WHO    LAUGHED 


T  was  towards  nightfall  of  the 
day  on  which  Dickory  had  es- 
caped from  the  pirates  at  the 
spring  that  he  found  himself  on  a  piece  of  high 
ground  in  an  open  place  in  the  forest,  and  here 
he  determined  to  spend  the  night.  With  his  dirk 
he  cut  a  quantity  of  palmetto  leaves  and  made 
himself  a  very  comfortable  bed,  on  which  he  was 
soon  asleep,  fearing  no  pirates. 

In  the  morning  he  rose  early  from  his  green 
couch,  ate  the  few  biscuits  which  were  left  in 
his  pockets,  and,  putting  on  his  shoes  and  stock- 
ings, started  forth  upon,  what  might  have  been 
supposed  to  be,  an  aimless  tramp. 

But  it  was  not  aimless.  Dickory  had  a  most 
wholesome  dread  of  that  indomitable  apostle  of 
cruelty  and  wickedness,  the  pirate  Blackbeard. 
He  believed  that  it  would  be  quite  possible  for 
that  savage  being  to  tie  up  his  beard  in  tails, 
to  blacken  his  face  with  powder,  to  hang  more 

2S0 


A   GIRL   WHO   LAUGHED 

pistols  from  his  belt  and  around  his  neck,  and 
swear  that  the  Revenge  should  never  leave  her 
anchorage  until  her  first  lieutenant  had  been  cap- 
tured and  brought  back  to  her.  So  he  had  an 
aim,  and  that  was  to  get  away  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  spot  where  he  had  landed  on  the  island. 
He  did  not  believe  that  his  pursuers,  if  there 
were  any  upon  his  track,  could  have  travelled 
in  the  night,  for  it  had  been  pitchy  black;  and, 
as  he  now  had  a  good  start  of  them,  he  thought 
he  might  go  so  far  that  they  would  give  up  the 
search.  Then  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  keep  him- 
self alive  until  he  was  reasonably  sure  that  the 
Revenge  had  hoisted  anchor  and  sailed  away, 
when  it  was  his  purpose  to  make  his  way  back 
to  the  spring  and  wait  for  some  other  vessel 
which  would  take  him  away. 

With  his  shoes  on  he  travelled  more  easily, 
although  not  so  swiftly,  and  after  an  hour  of  very 
rough  walking  he  heard  a  sound  which  made  him 
stop  instantly  and  listen.  At  first  he  thought  it 
might  be  the  wind  in  the  trees,  but  soon  his 
practised  ear  told  him  that  it  was  the  sound  of 
the  surf  upon  the  beach.  Without  the  slightest 
hesitation,  he  made  his  way  as  quickly  as  possi- 
ble towards  the  sound  of  the  sea. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  he  found  himself 
upon  a  stretch  of  sand  which  extended  from  the 
forest  to  the  sea,  and  upon  which  the  waves  were 
throwing  themselves  in  long,  crested  lines.  With 
a  cry  of  joy  he  ran  out  upon  the  beach,  and  with 
19  281 


KATE   BONNET 

outstretched  arms  he  welcomed  the  sea  as  if  it 
had  been  an  old  and  well-tried  friend. 

But  Dickory's  gratitude  and  joy  had  nothing 
to  found  itself  upon.  The  sea  might  far  better 
have  been  his  enemy  than  his  friend,  for  if  he 
had  thought  about  it,  the  sandy  beach  would  have 
been  the  road  by  which  a  portion  of  the  pirate 's 
men  would  have  marched  to  cut  off  his  flight, 
or  they  would  have  accomplished  the  same  end 
in  boats. 

But  Dickorv  thought  of  no  enemv  and  his 

v  CD  •■ 

heart  was  cheered.  He  pressed  on  along  the 
beach.  The  walking  was  so  much  better  now 
that  he  made  good  progress,  and  the  sun  had 
not  reached  its  zenith  when  he  found  himself  on 
the  shore  of  a  small  stream  which  came  down 
from  some  higher  land  in  the  interior  and  here 
poured  itself  into  the  sea.  He  walked  some  dis- 
tance by  this  stream,  in  order  to  get  some  water 
which  might  be  free  from  brackiskness,  and 
then,  with  very  little  trouble,  he  crossed  it.  Be- 
fore him  was  a  knoll  of  moderate  height,  and  cov- 
ered with  low  foliage.  Mounting  this,  he  found 
that  he  had  an  extended  view  over  the  interior  of 
the  island.  In  the  background  there  stretched  a 
wide  savanna,  and  at  the  distance  of  about  half 
a  mile  he  saw,  very  near  a  little  cluster  of  trees, 
a  thin  column  of  smoke.  His  eyes  rounded  and 
he  stared  and  stared.  He  now  perceived,  from 
behind  the  leaves,  the  end  of  a  thatched  roof. 
"  People  !  ,?  Dickory  exclaimed,  and  his  heart 

282 


A    GIRL    WHO    LAUGHED 

beat  fast  with  joy.  Why  his  heart  should  be 
joyful  he  could  not  have  told  himself  except  that 
there  was  no  earthly  reason  to  believe  that  the 
persons  who  were  making  that  fire  near  that 
thatched-roof  house  were  pirates.  To  go  to  this 
house,  whatever  it  might  be,  to  take  his  chances 
there  instead  of  remaining  alone  in  the  wide  for- 
est, was  our  young  man's  instant  determination. 
But  before  he  started  there  was  something  else 
he  thought  of.  He  took  off  his  coat,  and  with 
a  bunch  of  leaves  he  brushed  it.  Then  he  ar- 
ranged the  plumes  of  his  hat  and  brushed  some 
mud  from  them,  gave  himself  a  general  shake, 
and  was  ready  to  make  a  start.  All  this  by  a 
fugitive  pursued  by  savage  pirates  on  a  desert 
island !  But  Dickory  was  a  young  man,  and  he 
wore  the  uniform  of  a  naval  officer. 

After  a  brisk  walk,  which  was  somewhat 
longer  than  he  had  supposed  it  would  be,  Dick- 
ory reached  the  house  behind  the  trees.  At  a 
short  distance  burned  the  fire  whose  smoke  he 
had  seen.  Over  the  fire  hung  an  iron  pot.  Oh, 
blessed  pot !  A  gentle  breeze  blew  from  the  fire 
towards  Dickory,  and  from  the  heavenly  odour 
which  was  borne  upon  it  he  knew  that  something 
good  to  eat  was  cooking  in  that  pot. 

A  man  came  quickly  from  behind  the  house. 
He  was  tall,  with  a  beard  a  little  gray,  and  his 
scanty  attire  was  of  the  most  nondescript  fash- 
ion. With  amazement  upon  his  face,  he  spoke 
to  Dickory  in  English. 

2S3 


KATE   BONNET 

"  What,  sir,"  he  cried,  "  has  a  man-of-war 
touched  at  this  island?  " 

Dickory  could  not  help  smiling,  for  the  man's 
countenance  told  him  how  he  had  been  utterly 
astounded,  and  even  stupefied,  by  the  sight  of 
a  gentleman  in  naval  uniform  in  the  interior  of 
that  island,  an  almost  desert  region. 

"  Xo  man-of-war  has  touched  here,"  said 
Dickory,  "  and  I  don't  belong  to  one.  I  wear 
these  clothes  because  I  am  compelled  to  do  so, 
having  no  others.  Yesterday  afternoon  I  es- 
caped from  some  pirates  who  stopped  for  water, 
and  since  leaving  them  I  have  made  my  way 
to  this  spot." 

The  man  stepped  forth  quickly  and  stretched 
out  his  hand. 

' '  Bless  you !  Bless  you !  "  he  cried.  ' '  You 
are  the  first  human  being,  other  than  my  family, 
rhat  I  have  seen  for  two  years." 

A  little  girl  now  came  from  behind  the  house, 
and  when  her  eyes  fell  upon  Dickory  and  his 
cocked  hat  she  screamed  with  terror  and  ran  in- 
doors. A  woman  appeared  at  the  door,  evidently 
the  man's  wife.  She  had  a  pleasant  face,  but 
her  clothes  riveted  Dickory 's  attention.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  describe  them  even  if 
one  were  gazing  upon  them.  It  will  be  enough 
to  say  that  they  covered  her.  Her  amazement 
more  than  equalled  that  of  her  husband;  she 
stood  and  stared,  but  could  not  speak. 

' '  From  the  spring  at  the  end  of  the  island, ' ' 

2S± 


A    GIRL    WHO    LAUGHED 

cried  the  man,  "  to  this  house  since  yesterday 
afternoon!  I  have  always  supposed  that  no  one 
could  get  here  from  the  spring  by  land.  I  call 
that  way  impassable.  You  are  safe  here,  sir,  I 
am  sure.  Pirates  would  not  follow  very  far 
through  those  forests  and  morasses ;  they  would 
be  afraid  they  would  never  get  back  to  their  ship. 
But  I  will  find  out  for  certain  if  you  have  reason, 
sir,  to  fear  pursuit  by  boat  or  otherwise." 

And  then,  stepping  around  to  the  other  end 
of  the  house,  he  called,  "  Lucilla!  " 

"  You  are  hungry,  sir,"  said  the  woman; 
"  presently  you  shall  share  our  meal,  which  is 
almost  cooked." 

Xow  the  man  returned. 

"  This  is  not  a  time  for  questions,  sir,"  he 
said,  "  either  from  you  or  from  us.  You  must 
eat  and  you  must  rest,  then  we  can  talk.  ^Ye 
shall  not  any  of  us  apologize  for  our  appearance, 
and  you  will  not  expect  it  when  you  have  heard 
our  story.  But  I  can  assure  you,  sir,  that  we 
do  not  look  nearly  so  strange  to  you  as  you  ap- 
pear to  us.  Never  before,  sir,  did  I  see  in  this 
climate,  and  on  shore,  a  man  attired  in  such 
fashion." 

Dickory  smiled.  "  I  will  tell  you  the  tale  of 
it,':  he  said,  "  when  we  have  eaten;  I  admit 
that  I  am  famished. ' ' 

The  man  was  now  called  away,  and  when  he 
returned  he  said  to  Dickory:  "  Fear  nothing, 
sir ;  your  ship  is  no  longer  at  the  anchorage  by 

285 


KATE    BONNET 

the  spring.  She  has  sailed  away,  wisely  con- 
cluding, I  suppose,  that  pursuit  of  you  would 
be  folly,  and  even  madness. ' ' 

The  dinner  was  an  exceedingly  plain  one, 
spread  upon  a  rude  table  under  a  tree.  The  little 
girl,  who  had  overcome  her  fear  of  ' '  the  soldier ' ' 
as  she  considered  him,  made  one  of  the  party. 

During  the  meal  Dickory  briefly  told  his 
story,  confining  it  to  a  mere  statement  of  his 
escape  from  the  pirates. 

*"  Blackbeard!  "  exclaimed  the  man.  "  Tru- 
ly you  did  well  to  get  away  from  him,  no  matter 
into  what  forests  you  plunged  or  upon  what  des- 
ert island  you  lost  yourself.  At  any  moment  he 
might  have  turned  upon  you  and  cut  you  to 
pieces  to  amuse  himself.  I  have  heard  the  most 
horrible  stories  of  Blackbeard." 

"  He  treated  me  very  well,"  said  Dickory, 
"  but  I  know  from  his  own  words  that  he  re- 
served me  for  a  most  horrible  fate. ' ' 

"  What!  "  exclaimed  the  man,  "  and  he  told 
you  !    He  is  indeed  a  demon !  ' ' 

"  Yes,"  said  Dickory,  "he  said  over  and 
over  again  that  he  was  going  to  take  me  to  Eng- 
land to  marry  me  to  his  daughter. ' ' 

At  this  the  wife  could  not  refrain  from  a 
smile.  "  Matrimony  is  not  generally  considered 
a  horrible  fate,"  said  she;  "  perhaps  his  daugh- 
ter may  be  a  most  comely  and  estimable  young 
person!     Girls   do   not   always   resemble   their 

fathers. ' ' 

286 


A    GIRL    WHO    LAUGHED 

"  Do  not  mention  it,"  exclaimed  Dickory, 
with  a  shudder;  "  that  was  one  reason  that  I 
ran  away;  I  preferred  any  danger  from  man  or 
beast  to  that  he  was  taking  me  to." 

••  He  is  engaged  to  he  married,"  thought  the 
woman;  "  it  is  easy  enough  to  see  that." 

' '  Xow  tell  me  your  story,  I  pray  you, ' '  said 
Dickory.  ' '  But  first.  I  would  like  very  much  to 
know  how  you  found  out  that  Blackbeard's  ship 
was  not  at  her  anchorage?  " 

"  That's  a  simple  thing,"  said  the  man. 
"  Of  course  you  did  not  observe,  for  you  could 
not,  that  from  its  eastern  point  where  lies  the 
spring,  this  island  stretches  in  a  long  curve  to 
the  south,  reaching  northward  again  about  this 
spot.  Consequently,  there  is  a  little  bay  to  the 
east  of  us.  across  which  we  can  see  the  anchor- 
ing ground  of  such  ships  as  may  stop  here  for 
water.  Your  way  around  the  land  curve  of  the 
island  was  a  long  one,  but  the  distance  straight 
across  the  bay  is  but  a  few  miles.  Upon  a  hill 
not  far  from  here  there  is  a  very  tall  tree,  which 
overtoils  all  the  other  trees,  and  to  the  upper 
branches  of  this  tree  my  daughter,  who  is  a  great 
climber,  frequently  ascends  with  a  small  glass 
and  is  thus  able  to  report  if  there  is  a  vessel  at 
the  anchorage." 

"  What!  "  exclaimed  Dickory,  "  that  little 

girl?  " 

"  Oh,  no!  "  said  the  man:  "  it  is  my  other 
daughter,  who  is  a  grown  young  woman." 

287 


KATE   BONNET 

"  She  is  not  here  now,"  said  the  mother. 
And  this  piece  of  unnecessary  information  was 
given  in  tones  which  might  indicate  that  the 
young  lady  had  stepped  around  to  visit  a  neigh- 
bour. 

"It  is  important,"  said  the  man,  "  that  I 
should  know  if  vessels  have  anchored  here,  for 
if  they  be  merchantmen  I  sometimes  do  business 
with  them." 

"  Business!  "  said  Dickory.  "  That  sounds 
extremely  odd.  Pray  tell  me  how  you  came  to 
be  here. ' ' 

' '  My  name  is  Mander, ' '  said  the  other, ' '  and 
about  two  years  ago  I  was  on  my  way  from  Eng- 
land to  Barbadoes,  where,  with  my  wife  and  two 
girls,  I  expected  to  settle.  We  were  captured 
by  a  pirate  ship  and  marooned  upon  this  island. 
I  will  say,  to  the  pirate  captain's  credit,  that  he 
was  a  good  sort  of  man  considering  his  profes- 
sion. He  sailed  across  the  bay  on  purpose  to  find 
a  suitable  place  to  land  us,  and  he  left  with  us 
some  necessary  articles,  such  as  axes  and  tools, 
kitchen  utensils,  and  a  gun  with  some  ammuni- 
tion. Then  he  sailed  away,  leaving  us  here,  and 
here  we  have  since  lived.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, we  have  no  right  to  complain,  for  had 
we  been  taken  by  an  ordinary  pirate  it  is  likely 
that  our  bones  would  now  be  lying  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  ocean. 

"  Here  I  have  worked  hard  and  have  made 
myself  a  home,  such  as  it  is.     There  are  wild 

288 


A   GIRL    WHO    LAUGHED 

cattle  upon  the  distant  savannas,  and  I  trap 
game  and  birds,  cultivate  the  soil  to  a  certain 
extent,  and  if  we  had  clothes  I  might  say  we 
would  be  in  better  circumstances  than  many  a 
respectable  family  in  England.  Sometimes 
when  a  merchantman  anchors  here  and  I  have 
hides  or  anything  else  which  we  can  barter  for 
things  we  need,  I  row  over  the  bay  in  a  canoe 
which  I  have  made,  and  have  thus  very  much 
bettered  our  condition.  But  in  no  case  have  I 
been  able  to  provide  my  family  with  suitable 
clothes." 

"  Why  did  you  not  get  some  of  these  mer- 
chant ships  to  cany  you  away  ?  M  asked  Dickory. 

The  man  shook  his  head.  "  There  is  no 
place."  he  said  sadly.  "  to  which  I  can  in  reason 
ask  a  ship  to  cany  me  and  my  family.  We  have 
no  money,  no  property  whatever.  In  any  other 
place  I  would  be  far  poorer  than  I  am  here. 
My  children  are  not  uneducated :  my  wife  and  I 
have  done  our  best  for  them  in  that  respect,  and 
we  have  some  books  with  us.  So.  as  you  see, 
it  would  be  rash  in  me  to  leave  a  home  which, 
rude  as  it  is,  shelters  and  supports  my  family,  to 
go  as  paupers  and  strangers  to  some  other  land." 

The  wife  heaved  a  sigh.  "  But  poor  Lu- 
cilla!"  she  said.  "It  is  dreadful  that  she 
should  be  forced  to  grow  up  here." 

"  Lucilla?  "  asked  Dickory. 

1 '  Yes,  sir, ' '  she  said,  ' ;  my  eldest  daughter. 
But  she  is  not  here  now." 

2^9 


KATE   BONNET 

Dickory  tliought  that  it  was  somewhat  odd 
that  he  should  be  again  informed  of  a  fact  which 
he  knew  very  well,  but  he  made  no  remarks 
upon  the  subject. 

Still  wearing  his  cocked  hat— for  he  had 
nothing  else  with  which  to  shield  his  head  from 
the  sun— and  with  his  uniform  coat  on,  for  he 
had  not  yet  an  opportunity  of  ripping  from  it 
the  letter  he  carried,  and  this  he  would  not  part 
from— Dickory  roamed  about  the  little  settle- 
ment. Mander  was  an  industrious  and  thrifty 
man.  His  garden,  his  buildings,  and  his  sur- 
roundings showed  that. 

Walking  past  a  clump  of  low  bushes,  Dickory 
was  startled  by  a  laugh— a  hearty  laugh— the 
laugh  of  a  girl.  Looking  quickly  around,  he 
saw,  peering  above  the  tops  of  the  bushes,  the 
face  of  the  girl  who  had  laughed. 

"  It  is  too  funny !  ' '  she  said,  as  his  eyes  fell 
upon  her.  "  I  never  saw  anything  so  funny  in 
all  my  life.  A  man  in  regimentals  in  this  weather 
and  upon  a  desert  island.  You  look  as  if  you 
had  marched  faster  than  your  army,  and  that 
you  had  lost  it  in  the  forest." 

Dickory  smiled.  "  You  ought  not  to  laugh 
at  me."  he  said,  "  for  these  clothes  are  really  a 
great  misfortune.  If  I  could  change  them  for 
something  cool  I  should  be  more  than  delighted." 

"  You  might  take  off  your  heavy  coat,"  said 
she :  ' '  you  need  not  be  on  parade  here.  And 
instead  of  that  awful  hat,  I  can  make  you  one 

290 


A    GIRL    WHO    LAUGHED 

of  long  grass.  Do  you  see  the  one  I  have  on? 
Isn't  that  a  good  hat?  I  have  one  nearly  fin- 
ished which  I  am  making  for  my  father;  you 
may  have  that. ' ' 

Dickory  would  most  gladly  have  taken  off  his 
coat  if,  without  observation,  he  could  have  trans- 
ferred his  sacred  letter  to  some  other  part  of  his 
clothes,  but  he  must  wait  for  that.  He  accepted 
instantly,  however,  the  offer  of  the  hat. 

"  You  seem  to  know  all  about  me,"  he  said; 
"  did  you  hear  me  tell  my  story?  " 

"  Every  word  of  it,"  said  she,  "  and  it  is 
the  queerest  story  I  ever  heard.  Think  of  a  pi- 
rate carrying  a  man  away  to  marry  him  to  his 
daughter!  " 

"  But  why  don't  you  come  from  behind  that 
bush  and  talk  to  me  ?  ' ' 

"  I  can't  do  it,"  said  she.  "  I  am  dressed 
funnier  than  you  are.  Xow  I  am  going  to  make 
your  hat. ' '    And  in  an  instant  she  had  departed. 

Dickory  now  strolled  on,  and  when  he  re- 
turned he  seated  himself  in  the  shade  near  the 
house.     The  letter  of  Captain  Vince  was  taken 
from  his  coat-lining  and  secured  in  one  of  his 
breeches  pockets;  his  heavy  coat  and  waisl 
lay  upon  the  ground  beside  him.  with  the 
hat  placed  upon  them.    As  he  leaned  back  aga  i 
the  tree  and  inhaled  the  fragrant  breeze  whi 
came  to  him  from  the  forest,  Dickory  was  a  mo 
cheerful  young  man  than  he  had  been  for  many, 
many  days.     He  thought  of  this  himself,  and 

291 


KATE    BONNET 

wondered  how  a  man,  carrying  with  him  his  sen- 
tence of  lifelong  misery,  could  lean  against  a  tree 
and  take  pleasure  in  anything,  be  it  a  hospitable 
welcome,  a  sense  of  freedom  from  danger,  a  fra- 
grant breeze,  or  the  face  of  a  pretty  girl  behind 
a  bush.  But  these  things  did  please  him;  he 
could  not  help  it.  And  when  presently  came 
Mrs.  Mander,  bringing  him  a  light  grass  hat 
fresh  from  the  manufacturer's  hands,  he  took  it 
and  put  it  on  with  more  evident  pleasure  than 
the  occasion  seemed  to  demand. 

"  Your  daughter  is  truly  an  artist,"  said 
Dickory. 

"  She  does  many  things  well,"  said  the 
mother,  ' '  because  necessity  compels  her  and  all 
of  us  to  learn  to  work  in  various  ways." 

1 1  Can  I  not  thank  her  ?  ' '  said  Dickory. 

"  No,"  the  mother  answered,  "  she  is  not 
here  now." 

Dickory  had  begun  to  hate  that  self-evident 
statement. 

"  She's  looking  out  for  ships;  her  pride  is 
a  little  touched  that  she  missed  Blackbeard's 
vessel  yesterday. ' ' 

"  Perhaps,"  said  Dickory,  with  a  movement 
as  if  he  would  like  to  make  a  step  in  the  direc- 
tion of  some  tall  tree  upon  a  hill. 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Mander,  "  I  cannot  ask 
you  to  join  my  daughter.  I  am  compelled  to 
state  that  her  dress  is  not  a  suitable  one  in  which 
to  appear  before  a  stranger. ' ' 

292 


A   GIRL    WHO    LAUGHED 

1 '  Excuse  me, ' '  said  Dickory ;  ' '  and  I  beg, 
madam,  that  you  will  convey  to  her  my  thanks 
for  making  me  such  an  excellent  hat. ' ' 

A  little  later  Mander  joined  Dickory.  "  I 
am  sorry,  sir,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  not  able 
to  present  you  to  my  daughter  Lucilla.  It  is  a 
great  grief  to  us  that  her  attire  compels  her  to 
deny  herself  other  company  than  that  of  her 
family.  I  really  believe,  sir,  that  it  is  Lucilla 's 
deprivations  on  this  island  which  form  at  present 
my  principal  discontent  with  my  situation.  But 
we  all  enjoy  good  health,  we  have  enough  to  eat, 
and  shelter  over  us,  and  should  not  complain. ' ' 

As  soon  as  he  was  at  liberty  to  do  so,  Dickory 
walked  by  the  hedge  of  low  bushes,  and  there, 
above  it,  was  the  bright  face,  with  the  pretty 
grass  hat. 

"  I  was  waiting  for  you,"  said  she.  "  I 
wanted  to  see  how  that  hat  fitted,  and  I  think 
it  does  nicely.  And  I  wanted  to  tell  you  that 
I  have  been  looking  out  for  ships,  but  have  not 
seen  one.  I  don't  mean  by  that  that  I  want  you 
to  go  away  almost  as  soon  as  you  have  come, 
but  of  course,  if  a  merchant  ship  should  anchor 
here,  it  would  be  dreadful  for  you  not  to  know. ' ' 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  said  Dickory  gallantly, 
"  that  I  am  in  a  hurry  for  a  ship.  It  is  truly 
very  pleasant  here." 

"  What  makes  it  pleasant"?  "  said  the  girl. 

Dickory  hesitated  for  a  moment.  "  The 
breeze  from  the  forest, ' '  said  he. 

293 


^^■■■^■IHBMH^l 


KATE   BOXXET 

She  laughed.  "It  is  charming, ' '  she  said, 
"  but  there  are  so  many  places  where  there  is 
just  as  good  a  breeze,  or  perhaps  better.  How 
I  would  like  to  go  to  some  one  of  them !  To  me 
this  island  is  lonely  and  doleful.  Every  time 
I  look  over  the  sea  for  a  ship  I  hope  that  one 
will  come  that  can  carry  us  away." 

1 '  Then, ' '  said  Dickory, ' '  I  wish  a  ship  would 
come  to-morrow  and  take  us  all  away  together. 

She  shook  her  head.  "  As  my  father  told 
you,"  said  she,  "  we  have  no  place  to  go  to." 

Dickory  thought  a  good  deal  about  the  sad 
condition  of  the  family  of  this  worthy  marooner. 
He  thought  of  it  even  after  he  had  stretch^! 
himself  for  the  night  upon  the  bed  of  palmetto 
leaves  beneath  the  tree  against  which  he  had 
leaned  when  he  wondered  how  he  could  be  so 
cheerful  under  the  shadow  of  the  sad  fate  which 
was  before  him. 


29± 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 
lucilla's  ship 


S  soon  as  Dickory  had  left  off 
bis  cocked  hat  and  his  gold- 
embroidered  coat,  the  little 
girl  Lena  had  ceased  to  be  afraid  of  him,  and 
the  next  morning  she  came  to  him,  seated  lonely 
—for  this  was  a  busy  household— and  asked  him 
if  he  would  like  to  take  a  walk.  So,  hand  in 
hand,  they  wandered  away.  Presently  they  en- 
tered a  path  which  led  through  the  woods. 

"  This  is  the  way  my  sister  goes  to  her  look- 
out tree, ' '  said  the  little  girl.  ' '  AVould  you  like 
to  see  that  tree  1  ' ' 

1 '  Oh,  yes !  ' '  said  Dickory,  and  he  spoke  the 
truth. 

"  She  goes  up  to  the  very  top,"  said  Lena, 
' '  to  look  for  ships.  I  would  never  do  that ;  I  'd 
rather  never  see  a  ship  than  to  climb  to  the 
top  of  such  a  tree.  I  '11  show  it  to  you  in  a  min- 
ute ;  we  're  almost  there. ' ' 

At  a  little  distance  from  the  rest  of  the  forest 

295 


KATE   BONNET 

and  upon  a  bluff  which  overlooked  a  stretch  of 
lowland,  and  beyond  that  the  bay,  stood  a  tall 
tree  with  spreading  branches  and  heavy  foliage. 

"  Up  in  the  top  of  that  is  where  she  sits," 
said  the  child,  "  and  spies  out  for  ships.  That's 
what  she's  doing  now.  Don't  you  see  her  up 
there f  " 

"  Your  sister  in  the  tree!  "  exclaimed  Dick- 
ory.  And  his  first  impulse  was  to  retire,  for  it 
had  been  made  quite  plain  to  him  that  he  was 
not  expected  to  present  himself  to  the  young  lady 
of  the  house,  should  she  be  on  the  ground  or  in 
the  air.  But  he  did  not  retire.  A  voice  came 
to  him  from  the  tree-top,  and  as  he  looked  up- 
ward he  saw  the  same  bright  face  which  had 
greeted  him  over  the  top  of  the  bushes.  Below 
it  was  a  great  bunch  of  heavy  leaves. 

"  So  you  have  come  to  call  on  me,  have 
you?  "  said  the  lady  in  the  tree.  "  I  am  glad 
to  see  you,  but  I'm  sorry  that  I  cannot  ask  you 
to  come  upstairs.    I  am  not  receiving." 

11  He  could  not  come  up  if  he  wanted  to," 
said  Lena;  "  he  couldn't  climb  a  tree  like  that." 

* '  And  he  doesn  't  want  to, ' '  cried  the  nymph 
of  the  bay-tree.  "  I  have  been  up  here  all  the 
morning, ' '  said  she,  ' '  looking  for  ships,  but  not 
one  have  I  seen." 

"  Isn't  that  a  tiresome  occupation?  "  asked 
Dickory. 

1 '  Xot  altogether, ' '  she  said.  ' '  The  branches 
up  here  make  a  very  nice  seat,  and  I  nearly  al- 

296 


LUCILLA'S    SHIP 

ways  bring  a  book  with  me.  You  will  wonder 
bow  we  get  books,  but  we  had  a  few  with  us 
when  we  were  marooned,  and  since  that  my  father 
has  always  asked  for  books  when  he  has  an  op- 
portunity of  trading  off  his  hides.  But  I  have 
read  them  all  over  and  over  again,  and  if  it  were 
not  for  the  ships  which  I  expect  to  come  here 
and  anchor,  I  am  afraid  I  should  grow  melan- 
choly. ' ' 

"  What  sort  of  ships  do  you  look  for?  ' 
asked  Dickory,  who  was  gazing  upward  with  so 
much  interest  that  he  felt  a  little  pain  in  the  back 
of  his  neck,  and  who  could  not  help  thinking 
of  a  framed  engraving  which  hung  in  his 
mother's  little  parlour,  and  which  represented 
some  angels  composed  of  nothing  but  heads  and 
wings.  He  saw  no  wings  under  the  head  of  the 
charming  young  creature  in  the  tree,  but  there 
was  no  reason  which  he  could  perceive  why  she 
should  not  be  an  angel  marooned  upon  a  West 
Indian  island. 

"  There  are  a  great  many  of  them,"  said  she, 
"  and  they're  all  alike  in  one  way— they  never 
come.  But  there's  one  of  them  in  particular 
which  I  look  for  and  look  for  and  look  for,  and 
which  I  believe  that  some  day  I  shall  really  see. 
I  have  thought  about  that  ship  so  often  and  I 
have  dreamed  about  it  so  often  that  I  almost 
know  it  must  come." 

"Is  it  an  English  ship?  "  asked  Dickory, 
speaking  with  some  effort,  for  he  found  that  the 
20  297 


KATE    BONNET 

girl's  voice  came  down  much  more  readily  than 
his  went  up. 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  she,  "  but  I  suppose 
it  must  be,  for  otherwise  I  should  not  understand 
what  the  people  on  board  should  say  to  me.  It 
is  a  large  ship,  strong  and  able  to  defend  itself 
against  any  pirates.  It  is  laden  with  all  sorts  of 
useful  and  valuable  things,  and  among  these  are 
a  great  many  trunks  and  boxes  filled  with  differ- 
ent kinds  of  clothes.  Also,  there's  a  great  deal 
of  money  kept  in  a  box  by  itself,  and  is  in  charge 
of  an  agent  who  is  bringing  it  out  to  my  father, 
supposing  him  to  be  now  settled  in  Barbadoes. 
This  money  is  erenerallv  a  legacv  for  my  father 
from  a  distant  relative  who  has  recently  died. 
On  this  ship  there  are  so  many  delightful  things 
that  I  cannot  even  begin  to  mention  them." 

"  And  where  is  it  going  to?  "  asked  Dick- 
ory. 

"  That  I  don't  know  exactly.  Sometimes  I 
think  that  it  is  going  to  the  island  of  Barbadoes, 
where  we  originally  intended  to  settle ;  but  then 
I  imagine  that  there  is  some  pleasanter  place 
than  Barbadoes,  and  if  that's  the  case  the  ship 
is  going  there." 

1 '  There  can  be  no  pleasanter  place  than  Bar- 
badoes," cried  Dickory.  "  I  come  from  that 
island,  where  I  was  born ;  there  is  no  land  more 
lovely  in  all  the  West  Indies. ' ' 

"  You  come  from  Barbadoes?  "  cried  the 
girl,  "  and  it  really  is  a  pleasant  island!  " 

298 


LTJCILLA'S    SHIP 

"  Most  truly  it  is,"  said  he,  "  and  the  great 
dream  of  my  life  is  to  get  back  there."  Then 
he  stopped.  Was  it  really  the  dream  of  his  life 
to  get  back  there?  That  would  depend  upon 
several  things. 

"  If,  then,  you  tell  me  the  truth,  my  ship  is 
bound  for  Barbadoes.  And  if  she  should  go, 
would  you  like  to  go  there  with  us !  ' ' 

Dickory  hesitated.  k  4  Xot  directly, ' '  said  he. 
"  I  would  first  touch  at  Jamaica." 

For  some  moments  there  was  no  answer  from 
the  tree-top,  and  then  came  the  question:  "  Is  it 
a  girl  who  lives  there.1 

"  Yes,"  said  Dickory  unguardedly,  "  but 
also  I  have  a  mother  in  Jamaica." 

"  Indeed."  said  she,  "  a  mother!  Well,  we 
might  stop  there  and  take  the  mother  with  us  to 
Barbadoes.    Would  the  girl  want  to  go  too?  " 

Dickory  bent  his  head.  "  Alas!  "  said  he, 
"  I  do  not  know." 

Then  spoke  the  little  Lena.  "  I  would  not 
bother  about  any  particular  place  to  go  to,"  said 
she.  "  I'd  be  so  glad  to  go  anywhere  that  isn't 
here.    But  it  is  not  a  real  ship,  you  know." 

"  I  don't  think  I  will  take  you,"  called  down 
Lucilla.  "  I  don't  want  too  many  passengers, 
especially  women  I  don't  know.  But  I  often 
think  there  will  be  a  gentleman  passenger— one 
who  really  wants  to  go  to  Barbadoes  and  no- 
where else.  Sometimes  he  is  one  kind  of  a  gentle- 
man and  sometimes  another,  but  he  is  never  a 

299 


KATE   BONNET 

soldier  or  a  sailor,  but  rather  one  who  loves  to 
stay  at  home.  And  now,  sir,  I  think  I  must  take 
ii  iy  glass  and  try  to  pick  out  a  ship  from  among 
the  spots  on  the  far  distant  waves." 

"  Come  on,"  said  Lena,  "  do  you  like  to  fish! 
Because  if  you  do,  I  can  take  you  to  a  good 
place." 

The  rest  of  the  day  Dickory  spent  with  Mr. 
Mander  and  his  wife,  who  were  intelligent  and 
pleasant  people.  They  talked  of  their  travels, 
their  misfortunes  and  their  blessings,  and  Dick- 
ory yearned  to  pour  out  his  soul  to  them,  but  he 
could  not  do  so.  His  woes  did  not  belong  to  him- 
self alone;  they  were  not  for  the  ears  of  stran- 
gers. He  made  up  his  mind  what  he  would  do. 
Until  the  morrow  he  would  stay  as  a  visitor  with 
these  most  hospitable  people,  then  he  would  ask 
for  work.  He  would  collect  firewood,  he  would 
hunt,  he  would  fish,  he  would  do  anything.  And 
here  he  would  support  himself  until  there  came 
some  merchant  ship  bound  southward  which 
would  carry  him  away.  If  the  Mander  family 
were  anyway  embarrassed  or  annoyed  by  his 
presence  here,  he  would  make  a  camp  at  a  little 
distance  and  live  there  by  himself.  Perhaps  the 
lady  of  the  tree  would  kindly  send  him  word  if 
the  ship  he  was  looking  for  should  come. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  and 
Lena  had  dropped  asleep  beneath  the  tree  where 
Dickory  and  her  parents  were  conversing,  when 
suddenly  there  rushed  upon  the  little  group  a 

300 


LUCILLA 'S    SHIP 

most  surprising  figure.  At  the  first  flash  of 
thought  Dickory  supposed  that  a  boy  from  the 
skies  had  dropped  among  them,  but  in  an  instant 
he  recognised  the  face  he  had  seen  above  the 
bushes.  It  was  Lucilla,  the  daughter  of  the 
house!  Upon  her  head  was  a  little  straw  hat, 
and  she  wore  a  loose  tunic  and  a  pair  of  sailor's 
trousers,  which  had  been  cut  off  and  were  short 
enough  to  show  that  her  feet  and  ankles  were 
bare.  Around  her  waist  she  had  a  belt  of  skins, 
from  which  dangled  a  string  of  crimson  sea- 
beans.  Her  eyes  were  wide  open,  her  face  was 
pale,  and  she  was  trembling  with  excitement. 

"  What  do  you  think!  "  she  cried,  not  car- 
ing who  was  there  or  who  might  look  at  her. 
"  There's  a  ship  at  the  spring,  and  there's  a 
boat  rowing  across  the  bay.  A  boat  with  four 
men  in  it!  " 

All  started  to  their  feet. 

"  A  boat,"  cried  Mander,  "  with  four  men 
in  it !  Run,  my  dear,  to  the  cave ;  press  into  its 
depths  as  far  as  you  can.  There  is  nothing  there 
to  be  afraid  of,  and  no  matter  how  frightened 
you  are,  press  into  its  most  distant  depths.  You, 
sir,  will  remain  with  me,  or  would  you  rather 
escape?  If  it  is  a  pirate  ship,  it  may  be  Black- 
beard  who  has  returned." 

"  Xot  so,"  cried  Lucilla,  "  it  is  a  merchant 
vessel,  and  they  are  making  straight  for  the 
mouth  of  our  stream." 

"  I  will  stay  here  with  you,"  said  Dickory, 

301 


KATE    BONNET 

1 '  and  stand  by  you,  unless  I  may  lielp  your  fam- 
ily seek  the  cave  you  speak  of." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Mander,  "  they  don't  need 
you,  and  if  you  will  do  so  we  will  go  down  to 
the  beach  and  meet  these  men ;  that  will  be  better 
than  to  have  them  search  for  us.  They  will  know 
that  people  live  here,  for  my  canoe  is  drawn  up 
on  the  beach. ' ' 

"  Is  this  safe?  "  cried  Dickory;  "  would  it 
not  be  better  for  you  to  go  with  your  family 
and  hide  with  them  1  I  will  meet  the  men  in  the 
boat." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Mander;  "  if  their  vessel  is 
no  pirate,  I  do  not  fear  them.  But  I  will  not 
have  them  here. ' ' 

Now,  after  Mander  had  embraced  his  family, 
they  hurried  away  in  tears,  the  girl  Lucilla  cast- 
ing not  one  glance  at  Dickory.  Impressed  by 
the  impulse  that  it  was  the  proper  thing  to  do, 
Dickory  put  on  his  coat  and  waistcoat  and 
clapped  upon  his  head  his  high  cocked  hat. 
Then  he  rapidly  followed  Mander  to  the  beach, 
which  they  reached  before  the  boat  touched  the 
sand. 

When  the  man  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  which 
was  now  almost  within  hailing  distance,  saw  the 
two  figures  run  down  upon  the  beach,  he  spoke 
to  the  oarsmen  and  they  all  stopped  and  looked 
around.  The  stop  was  occasioned  by  the  sight 
of  Dickory  in  his  uniform ;  and  this,  under  the 
circumstances,  was  enough  to  stop  any  boat's 

302 


LUCILLA'S    SHIP 

crew.  Then  they  fell  to  again  and  pulled  ashore. 
When  the  boat  was  beached  one  of  its  occupants, 
a  roughly  dressed  man,  sprang  ashore  and 
walked  cautiously  towards  Mander ;  then  he  gave 
a  great  shout. 

1 '  Heigho,  heigho !  "  he  cried,  ' '  and  Mander, 
this  is  you !  ' ' 

Then  there  was  great  hand-shaking  and  many 
words. 

' '  Excuse  me,  sir, ' '  said  the  man,  raising  his 
bat  to  Dickory,  "  it  is  now  more  than  two  years 
since  I  have  seen  my  friend  here,  when  he  was 
marooned  by  pirates.  We  were  all  on  the  same 
merchantman,  but  the  pirate  took  me  along,  being 
short  of  hands.  I  got  away  at  last,  sir  "  (all  the 
time  addressing  Dickory  instead  of  Mander,  this 
being  respect  to  his  rank),  "  and  shipping  on 
board  that  brig,  sir,  I  begged  it  of  the  captain 
that  he  would  drop  anchor  here  and  take  in 
water,  although  I  cannot  say  it  was  needed, 
and  give  me  a  chance  to  land  and  see  if  my  old 
friend  be  yet  alive.  I  knew  the  spot,  having 
well  noted  it  when  Mander  and  his  family  were 
marooned. ' ' 

"  And  this  is  Lucilla's  ship,"  said  Dickory 
to  himself.  But  to  the  sailor  he  said :  ' '  This  is 
a  great  day  for  your  friend  and  his  family.  But 
you  must  not  lift  your  hat  to  me,  for  I  am  no 
officer." 

For  a  long  time,  at  least  it  seemed  so  to  Dick- 
ory, who  wanted  to  run  to  the  cave  and  tell  the 

303 


KATE    BONNET 

good  news,  they  all  stood  together  on  the  sands 
and  talked  and  shook  hands  and  laughed  and 
were  truly  thankful,  the  men  who  had  come  in 
the  boat  as  much  so  as  those  who  were  found 
on  the  island.  It  was  agreed,  and  there  was  no 
discussion  on  this  point,  that  the  Mander  family 
should  be  carried  away  in  the  brig,  which  was 
an  English  vessel  bound  for  Jamaica,  but  the 
happy  Mander  would  not  ask  any  of  the  boat's 
crew  to  visit  him  at  his  home.  Instead,  he  be- 
sought them  to  return  to  their  vessel  and  bring 
back  some  clothes  for  women,  if  any  such  should 
be  included  in  her  cargo. 

"  My  family,"  said  he,  "  are  not  in  fit  condi- 
tion to  venture  themselves  among  well-clad  peo- 
ple. They  are,  indeed,  more  like  savages  than 
am  I  myself." 

"  I  doubt,"  said  Mander 's  friend,  "  if  the 
ship  carries  goods  of  that  description,  but  per- 
haps the  captain  might  let  you  have  a  bale  of 
cotton  cloth,  although  I  suppose—"  and  here  he 
looked  a  little  embarrassed. 

"  Oh,  we  can  buy  it,"  cried  Dickory,  taking 
some  pieces  of  gold  from  his  pocket,  being  coin 
with  which  Blackbeard  had  furnished  him, 
swearing  that  his  first  lieutenant  could  not  feel 
like  a  true  officer  without  money  in  his  pocket; 
1  \  take  this  and  fetch  the  cloth  if  nothing  better 
can  be  had. ' ' 

' l  Thank  you, ' '  cried  Mander ; ' '  my  wife  and 
daughters  can  soon  fashion  it  into  shape." 

304 


LUCILLA'S    SHIP 

"  And,"  added  Dickory,  reflecting  a  little 
and  remembering  the  general  hues  of  Lucilla's 
face,  ' '  if  there  be  choice  in  colours,  let  the  cloth 
be  pink. ' ' 

When  Mander  and  Dickory  reached  the  house 
they  did  not  stop,  but  hurried  on  towards  the 
cave,  both  of  them  together,  for  each  thought 
only  of  the  great  joy  they  were  taking  with 
them. 

"  Come  out!  Come  out!  "  shouted  Mander, 
as  he  ran,  and  before  they  reached  the  cave  its 
shuddering  inmates  had  hurried  into  the  light. 
When  the  cries  and  the  tears  and  the  embraces 
were  over,  Lucilla  first  looked  at  Dickory.  She 
started,  her  face  flushed,  and  she  was  about  to 
draw  back ;  then  she  stopped,  and  advancing  held 
out  her  hand. 

"  It  cannot  be  helped,"  she  said;  "  anyway, 
you  have  seen  me  before,  and  I  suppose  it  doesn't 
matter.  I'm  a  sailor  boy,  and  have  to  own  up  to 
it.  I  did  hope  you  would  think  of  me  as  a  young 
lady,  but  we  are  all  so  happy  now  that  that 
doesn't  matter.  Oh,  father!  "  she  cried,  "  it 
can't  be ;  we  are  not  fit  to  be  saved ;  we  must  per- 
ish here  in  our  wretched  rags." 

"  Not  so,"  cried  Dickory,  with  a  bow;  "  I've 
already  bought  you  a  gown,  and  I  hope  it  is 
pink. ' ' 

As  they  all  hurried  away,  the  tale  of  the 
hoped-for  clothes  was  told;  and  although  Mrs. 
Mander  wondered  how  gowns  were  to  be  made 

305 


KATE    BONNET 

while  a  merchantman  waited,  she  said  nothing 
of  her  doubts,  and  they  all  ran  gleefully.  Lu- 
cilla  and  Dickory  being  the  fleetest  led  the  others, 
and  Dickory  said:  "  Now  that  I  have  seen  you 
thus,  I  shall  be  almost  sorry  if  that  ship  can 
furnish  you  with  common  clothes,  what  you  wear 
becomes  you  so. ' '  , 

1 '  Oho !  ' '  cried  Lucilla,  ' '  that 's  fine  flattery, 
sir;  but  I  am  glad  you  said  it,  for  that  speech 
has  made  me  feel  more  like  a  woman  than  I 
have  felt  since  I  first  put  on  this  sailor's  tog- 
gery." 

In  the  afternoon  the  boat  returned,  Mander 
and  Dickory  watching  on  the  beach.  When  it 
grounded,  Davids,  Mander's  friend,  jumped  on 
shore,  bearing  in  his  anus  a  pile  of  great  coarse 
sacks.  These  he  threw  upon  the  sand  and,  hand- 
ing to  Dickory  the  gold  pieces  he  had  given  him, 
said:  "  The  captain  sends  word  that  he  has  no 
time  to  look  over  any  goods  to  give  or  to  sell, 
but  he  sends  these  sacks,  out  of  which  the  women 
can  fashion  themselves  gowns,  and  so  come 
aboard.  Then  the  ship  shall  be  searched  for 
stuffs  which  will  suit  their  purposes  and  which 
they  can  make  at  their  leisure." 

It  was  towards  the  close  of  the  afternoon  that 
all  of  the  Mander  family  and  Dickoiy  came  down 
to  the  boat  which  was  waiting  for  them. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  Dickory,  as  he  and 
Lucilla  stood  together  on  the  sand,  ' '  that  in  that 
gown  of  gray,  with  the  white  sleeves,  and  the  red 

306 


LUCILLA'S    SHIP 

cord  around  your  waist,  you  please  me  better 
than  even  you  did  when  you  wore  your  sailor 
garb?  " 

"  And  what  matters  it,  sir,  whether  I  please 
you  or  not  ?  ' ' 


307 


CHAPTER   XXIX 


CArTAIN    ICHABOD 


ATE  BONNET  was  indeed  in 
a  sad  case.  She  had  sailed 
from  Kingston  with  high 
hopes  and  a  gay  heart,  and  before  she  left  she 
had  written  to  Master  Martin  Newcombe  to  ex- 
press her  joy  that  her  father  had  given  up  his 
unlawful  calling  and  to  say  how  she  was  going 
to  sail  after  him,  fold  him  in  her  forgiving  arms, 
and  bring  him  back  to  Jamaica,  where  she  and 
her  uncle  would  see  to  it  that  his  past  sins  were 
forgiven  on  account  of  his  irresponsible  mind, 
and  where,  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  he  would  tread 
the  paths  of  peace  and  probity.  In  this  letter 
she  had  not  yielded  to  the  earnest  entreaty  which 
was  really  the  object  and  soul  of  Master  New- 
«ombe's  epistle.  Many  kind  things  she  said  to 
so  kind  a  friend,  but  to  his  offer  to  make  her  the 
queen  of  his  life  she  made  no  answer.  She  knew 
she  was  his  very  queen,  but  she  would  not  yet 
consent  to  be  invested  with  the  royal  robes  and 
with  the  crown. 

308 


CAPTAIN    ICHABOD 

And  when  she  had  reached  Belize,  how  proud- 
ly happy  she  had  been !  She  had  seen  her  father, 
no  longer  an  outlaw,  honest  though  in  mean  con- 
dition, earning  his  bread  by  honourable  labour. 
Then,  with  a  still  greater  pride,  she  had  seen 
him  clad  as  a  noble  gentleman  and  bearing  him- 
self with  dignity  and  high  complacence.  AVhat 
a  figure  he  would  have  made  among  the  fine 
folks  who  were  her  uncle's  friends  in  Kingston 
and  in  Spanish  Town! 

But  all  this  was  over  now.  With  his  own 
hand  he  had  told  her  that  once  again  she  was 
a  pirate's  daughter.  She  went  below  to  her 
cabin,  where,  with  wet  cheeks,  Dame  Charter 
attended  her. 

Mr.  Delaplaine  was  angry,  intensely  angry. 
Such  a  shameful,  wicked  trick  had  never  before 
been  played  upon  a  loving  daughter.  There  were 
no  words  in  which  to  express  his  most  justifiable 
wrath.  Again  he  went  to  the  town  to  learn  more, 
but  there  was  nothing  more  to  learn  except  that 
some  people  said  they  had  reason  to  believe  that 
Bonnet  had  gone  to  follow  Blackbeard.  From 
things  they  had  heard  they  supposed  that  the 
vessel  which  had  sailed  away  in  the  night  had 
gone  to  offer  herself  as  consort  to  the  Revenge ; 
to  rob  and  burn  in  the  company  of  that  notorious 
ship. 

There  was  no  satisfaction  in  this  news  for 
the  heart  of  the  good  merchant,  and  when 
he  returned  to  the  brig  and  sought  his  niece's 

309 


KATE    BONNET 

cabin  he  had  no  words  with  which  to  cheer 
her.  All  he  could  do  was  to  tell  her  the  little 
he  had  learned  and  to  listen  to  her  supplica- 
tions. 

"  Oh,  uncle,"  she  exclaimed,  "  we  must  fol- 
low him,  we  must  take  him,  we  must  hold  him ! 
I  care  not  where  he  is,  even  if  it  be  in  the  com- 
pany of  the  dreadful  Blackbeard !  AVe  must  take 
him,  we  must  hold  him,  and  this  time  we  must 
carry  him  away,  no  matter  whether  he  will  or 
not.  I  believe  there  must  be  some  spark  of  feel- 
ing, even  in  the  heart  of  a  bloody  pirate,  which 
will  make  him  understand  a  daughter's  love  for 
her  father,  and  he  will  let  me  have  mine.  Oh, 
uncle !  we  were  very  wrong.  When  he  was  here 
with  us  we  should  have  taken  him  then;  we 
should  have  shut  him  up ;  we  should  have  sailed 
with  him  to  Kingston." 

All  this  was  very  depressing  to  the  soul  of 
Kate 's  loving  uncle,  for  how  was  he  to  sail  after 
her  father  and  take  him  and  hold  him  and  carry 
him  away  f  He  went  away  to  talk  to  the  captain 
of  the  Belinda,  but  that  tall  seaman  shook  his 
head.  His  vessel  was  not  ready  yet  to  sail,  being 
much  delayed  by  the  flight  of  Bonnet.  And, 
moreover,  he  vowed  that,  although  he  was  as 
bold  a  seaman  as  any,  he  would  never  consent  to 
set  out  upon  such  an  errand  as  the  following 
of  Blackbeard.  It  was  terrifying  enough  to  be 
in  the  same  bay  with  him,  even  though  he  were 
engaged  in  business  with  the  pirate,  for  no  one 

310 


CAPTAIN   ICHABOD 

knew  what  strange  freak  might  at  any  time  sug- 
gest itself  to  the  soul  of  that  most  bloody  rois- 
terer ;  but  as  to  following  him,  it  was  like  walking 
into  an  alligator's  jaws.  He  would  take  his  pas- 
sengers back  to  Kingston,  but  he  could  not  sail 
upon  any  wild  cruises,  nor  could  he  leave  Belize 
immediately. 

But  Kate  took  no  notice  of  all  this  when  her 
uncle  had  told  it  to  her.  She  did  not  wish  to 
go  back  to  Jamaica ;  she  did  not  wish  to  wait 
at  Belize.  It  was  the  clamorous  longing  of  her 
heart  to  go  after  her  father  and  to  find  him 
wherever  he  might  be,  and  she  did  not  care  to 
consider  anything  else. 

Dame  Charter  added  also  her  supplications. 
Her  boy  was  with  Blackbeard,  and  she  wished 
to  follow  the  pirata's  ship.  Even  if  she  should 
never  see  Major  Bonnet— whom  she  loathed  and 
despised,  though  never  saying  so— she  would 
find  her  Dickory.  She,  too,  believed  that  there 
must  be  some  spark  of  feeling  even  in  a  bloody 
pirate's  heart  which  would  make  him  under- 
stand the  love  of  a  mother  for  her  son,  and  he 
would  let  her  have  her  boy. 

Mr.  Delaplaine  sat  brooding  on  the  deck.  The 
righteous  anger  kindled  by  the  conduct  of  his 
brother-in-law,  and  his  grief  for  the  poor  strick- 
en women,  sobbing  in  the  cabin,  combined  to- 
gether to  throw  him  into  the  most  dolorous  state 
of  mind,  which  was  aggravated  by  the  knowledge 
that  he  could  do  nothing  except  to  wait  until 

311 


KATE   BONNET 

the  Belinda  sailed  back  to  Jamaica  and  to  go 
to  Jamaica  in  her. 

As  the  unhappy  merchant  sat  thus,  his  face 
.buried  in  his  hands,  a  small  boat  came  along- 
side and  a  passenger  mounted  to  the  deck.  This 
person,  after  asking  a  few  questions,  approached 
Mr.  Delaplaine. 

' '  I  have  come,  sir,  to  see  you, ' '  he  said.  ' '  I 
am  Captain  Ichabod  of  the  sloop  Restless." 

Mr.  Delaplaine  looked  up  in  surprise.  ' '  That 
is  a  pirate  ship,"  said  he. 

i '  Yes, ' '  said  the  other,  "  I  'm  a  pirate. ' ' 

The  newcomer  was  a  tall  young  man,  with 
long  dark  hair  and  with  well-made  features  and 
a  certain  diffidence  in  his  manner  which  did  not 
befit  his  calling. 

Mr.  Delaplaine  rose.  This  was  his  first  pri- 
vate interview  with  a  professional  sea-robber, 
and  he  did  not  know  exactly  how  to  demean  him- 
self;  but  as  his  visitor's  manner  was  quiet,  and 
as  he  came  on  board  alone,  it  was  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  his  intentions  were  offensive. 

"  And  you  wish  to  see  me,  sir!  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,"  said  Captain  Ichabod,  "  I  thought 
I  'd  come  over  and  talk  to  you.  I  don 't  know  you, 
bedad,  but  T  know  all  about  you,  and  I  saw  you 
and  your  family  when  you  came  to  town  to  visit 
that  old  fox,  bedad,  that  sugar-planter  that  Cap- 
tain Blackbeard  used  to  call  Sir  Nightcap.  Not 
a  bad  joke,  either,  bedad.  I  have  heard  of  a 
good  many  dirty,  mean  things  that  people  in  my 

312 


CAPTAIN   ICHABOD 

line  of  business  have  done,  but,  bedad,  I  never 
did  bear  of  any  captain  who  was  dirty  and  mean 
to  his  own  family.  Fine  people,  too,  who  came 
out  to  do  the  right  thing  by  him,  after  he  had 
been  cleaned  out,  bedad,  by  one  of  his  '  Brothers 
of  the  Coast.'  A  rare  sort  of  brother,  bedad, 
don 't  you  say  so  1  " 

"  You  are  right,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Delaplaine, 
"  in  what  you  say  of  the  wild  conduct  of  my 
brother-in-law  Bonnet.  It  pleases  me,  sir,  to 
know  that  you  condemn  it. ' ' 

"  Condemn!  I  should  say  so,  bedad,"  an- 
swered Captain  Ichabod ; ' '  and  I  came  over  here 
to  say  to  you— that  is,  just  to  mention,  not  know- 
ing, of  course,  what  you'd  think  about  it,  bedad 
—that  I'm  goin'  to  start  on  a  cruise  to-morrow. 
That  is,  as  soon  as  I  can  get  in  my  water  and 
some  stores,  bedad— water  anyway.  And  if  you 
and  your  ladies  might  happen  to  fancy  it,  bedad, 
I'd  be  glad  to  take  you  along.  I've  heard  that 
you  're  in  a  bad  case  here,  the  captain  of  this  brig 
being  unable  or  quite  unwilling  to  take  you  where 
you  want  to  go." 

"  But  where  are  you  going,  sir!  "  in  great 
surprise. 

"  Anywhere,"  said  Captain  Ichabod,  "  any- 
where you'd  like  to  go.  I'm  starting  out  on  a 
cruise,  and  a  cruise  with  me  means  anywhere. 
And  my  opinion  is,  sir,  that  if  you  want  to  come 
up  with  that  crack-brained  sugar-planter,  you'd 
better  follow  Blackbeard ;  and  the  best  place  to 
21  313 


KATE   BONNET 

find  him  will  be  on  the  Carolina  coast;  that's  his 
favourite  hunting-ground,  bedad,  and  I  expect 
the  sugar-planter  is  with  him  by  this  time." 

1 '  But  will  not  that  be  dangerous,  sir  ?  "  asked 
Mr.  Delaplaine. 

' '  Oh,  no, ' '  said  the  other.  ' '  I  know  Black- 
beard,  and  we  have  played  many  a  game  to- 
gether. You  and  your  family  need  not  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  it.  I  '11  board  the  Revenge,  and 
you  may  wager,  bedad,  that  I'll  bring  Sir  Night- 
cap back  to  you  by  the  ear. ' ' 

"  But  there's  another,"  said  Delaplaine; 
"  there's  a  young  man  belonging  to  my  par- 
ty  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know,"  said  the  other,  "  the 
young  fellow  Blackbeard  took  away  with  him. 
Clapped  a  cocked  hat  on  him,  bedad !  That  was 
a  good  joke!  I  will  bring  him  too.  One  old 
man,  one  young  man— I'll  fetch  'em  both.  Then 
I'll  take  you  all  where  you  want  to  go  to.  That 
is,  as  near  as  I  can  get  to  it,  bedad.  Now,  you 
tell  your  ladies  about  this,  and  I'll  have  my 
sloop  cleaned  up  a  bit,  and  as  soon  as  I  can  get 
my  water  on  board  I'm  ready  to  hoist  anchor." 

"  But  look  you,  sir,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine, "  this  is  a  very  important  matter,  and 
cannot  be  decided  so  quickly." 

"  Oh,  don't  mention  it,  don't  mention  it," 
said  Captain  Ichabod ;  ' '  just  you  tell  your  ladies 
all  about  it,  and  I'll  be  ready  to  sail  almost  any 
time  to-morrow."   . 

314 


CAPTAIN   ICHABOD 

11  But,  sir—"  cried  the  merchant. 

' '  Very  good, ' '  said  the  pirate  captain,  ' ■  you 
talk  it  over.  I'm  going  to  the  town  now  and  I'll 
row  out  to  you  this  afternoon  and  get  your  in- 
structions. ' ' 

And  with  this  he  got  over  the  side. 

Mr.  Delaplaine  said  nothing  of  this  visit,  but 
waited  on  deck  until  the  captain  came  on  board, 
and  then  many  were  the  questions  he  asked  about 
the  pirate  Ichabod. 

"Well,  well!"  the  captain  exclaimed, 
"  that's  just  like  him;  he's  a  rare  one.  Ichabod 
is  not  his  name,  of  course,  and  I'm  told  he  be- 
longs to  a  good  English  family  — a  younger  son, 
and  having  taken  his  inheritance,  he  invested  it 
in  a  sloop  and  turned  pirate.  He  has  had  some 
pretty  good  fortune,  I  hear,  in  that  line,  but  it 
hasn't  profited  him  much,  for  he  is  a  terrible 
gambler,  and  all  that  he  makes  by  his  prizes  he 
loses  at  cards,  so  he  is  nearly  always  poor. 
Blackbeard  sometimes  helps  him,  so  I  have  heard 
—which  he  ought  to  do,  for  the  old  pirate  has 
won  bags  of  money  from  him— but  he  is  known 
as  a  good  fellow,  and  to  be  trusted.  I  have  heard 
of  his  sailing  a  long  way  back  to  Belize  to  pay 
a  gambling  debt  he  owed,  he  having  captured 
a  merchantman  in  the  meantime." 

"  Very  honourable,  indeed,"  remarked  Mr. 
Delaplaine. 

"  As  pirates  go.  a  white  crow."  said  the 
other.    "  Xow.  sir.  if  yon  and  your  ladies  want 

315 


KATE   BOXXET 

to  go  to  Blackbeard,  and  a  rare  desire  is  that, 
I  swear,  you  cannot  do  better  than  let  Captain 
Ichabod  take  you.  You  will  be  safe,  I  am  sure 
of  that,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  think  he 
will  find  his  man." 

When  Mr.  Delaplaine  went  below  with  his 
extraordinary  news,  Dame  Charter  turned  pale 
and  screamed. 

"  Sail  in  a  pirate  ship?  "  she  cried.  "  I've 
seen  the  men  belonging  to  one  of  them,  and  as 
to  going  on  board  and  sailing  with  them,  I'd 
rather  die  just  where  I  am." 

To  the  good  Dame's  astonishment  and  that 
of  Mr.  Delaplaine,  Kate  spoke  up  very  promptly. 
"  But  you  cannot  die  here,  Dame  Charter;  and 
if  you  ever  want  to  see  your  son  again  you  have 
got  to  go  to  him.  Which  is  also  the  case  with 
me  and  my  father.  And,  as  there  is  no  other 
way  for  us  to  go,  I  say,  let  us  accept  this  man's 
offer  if  he  be  what  my  uncle  thinks  he  is.  After 
all,  it  might  be  as  safe  for  us  on  board  his  ship 
as  to  be  on  a  merchantman  and  be  captured  by 
pirates,  which  would  be  likely  enough  in  those 
regions  where  we  are  obliged  to  go ;  and  so  I  say 
let  us  see  the  man,  and  if  he  don't  frighten  us  too 
much  let  us  sail  with  him  and  get  my  father  and 
Dickory." 

"  It  would  be  a  terrible  danger,  a  terrible 
danger,"  said  Mr.  Delaplaine. 

"  But,  uncle,"  urged  Kate,  "  everything  is  a 
terrible  danger  in  the  search  we're  upon;  let  us 

316 


CAPTAIN    ICHABOD 

then  choose  a  danger  that  we  know  something 
about,  and  which  may  serve  our  needs,  rather 
than  one  of  which  we're  ignorant  and  which  can- 
not possibly  be  of  any  good  to  us. ' ' 

It  was  actually  the  fact  that  the  little  party 
in  the  cabin  had  not  finished  talking  over  this 
most  momentous  subject  before  they  were  in- 
formed that  Captain  Ichabod  was  on  deck.  Up 
they  went,  Dame  Charter  ready  to  faint.  But 
she  did  not  do  so.  When  she  saw  the  visitor 
she  thought  it  could  not  be  the  pirate  captain, 
but  some  one  whom  he  had  sent  in  his  place. 
He  was  more  soberly  dressed  than  when  he  first 
came  on  board,  and  his  manners  were  even 
milder.  The  mind  of  Kate  Bonnet  was  so 
worked  up  by  the  trouble  that  had  come  upon 
her  that  she  felt  very  much  as  she  did  when  she 
hung  over  the  side  of  her  father's  vessel  at 
Bridgetown,  ready  to  drop  into  the  darkness 
and  the  water  when  the  signal  should  sound. 
She  had  an  object  now,  as  she  had  had  then, 
and  again  she  must  risk  everything.  On  her 
second  look  at  Captain  Ichabod,  which  embar- 
rassed him  very  much,  she  was  ready  to  trust 
him. 

"  Dame  Charter."  she  whispered,  "  we  must 
do  it  or  never  see  them  again." 

So.  when  they  had  talked  about  it  for  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  it  was  agreed  that  they  would 
sail  with  Captain  Ichabod. 

When  the  sloop  Bes^ess  made  ready  to  sail 

317 


KATE    BONNET 

the  next  day  there  was  a  fine  flurry  in  the  har- 
bour. Nothing  of  the  kind  had  ever  before  hap- 
pened there.  Two  ladies  and  a  most  respectable 
old  gentleman  sailing  away  under  the  skull  and 
cross-bones!  That  was  altogether  new  in  the 
Caribbean  Sea.  To  those  who  talked  to  him 
about  his  quixotic  expedition,  Captain  Ichabod 
swore— and  at  times,  as  many  men  knew,  he  was 
a  great  hand  at  being  in  earnest— that  if  he  car- 
ried not  his  passengers  through  their  troubles 
and  to  a  place  of  safety,  the  Restless,  and  all  on 
board  of  her,  should  mount  to  the  skies  in  a 
Thousand  bits.  Although  this  alternative  would 
not  have  been  very  comforting  to  said  passen- 
gers if  they  had  known  of  it,  it  came  from  Cap- 
tain Ichabod 's  heart,  and  showed  what  sort  of 
a  man  he  was. 

Old  Captain  Sorby  came  to  the  Restless  in  a 
boat,  and  having  previously  washed  one  hand, 
came  on  board  and  bade  them  all  good-bye  with 
great  earnestness. 

' '  You  will  catch  him, ' '  said  he  to  Kate, ' '  and 
my  advice  to  you  is,  when  you  get  him,  hang 
him.  That's  the  only  way  to  keep  him  out  of 
mischief.  But  as  you  are  his  daughter,  you  may 
not  like  to  string  him  up,  so  I  say  put  irons  on 
him.  If  you  don't  he'll  be  playin'  you  some 
other  wild  trick.  He  is  not  fit  for  a  pirate,  any- 
way, and  he  ought  to  be  taken  back  to  his  calves 
and  his  chickens. ' ' 

Kate  did  not  resent  this  language;  she  even 

318 


CAPTAIN   ICHABOD 

smiled,  a  little  sadly.    She  had  a  great  work  be- 
fore her,  and  she  could  not  mind  trifles. 

None  of  the  other  pirates  came  on  board,  for 
they  were  afraid  of  Sorby,  and  when  that  great 
man  had  made  the  round  of  the  decks  and  had 
given  Captain  Ichabod  some  bits  of  advice,  he 
got  down  into  his  boat.  The  anchor  was  weighed, 
the  sails  hoisted,  and,  amid  shouts  and  cheers 
from  a  dozen  small  boats  containing  some  of  the 
most  terrible  and  bloody  sea-robbers  who  had 
ever  infested  the  face  of  the  waters,  the  Restless 
sailed  away :  the  only  pirate  ship  which  had,  per- 
haps, ever  left  port  followed  by  blessings  and 
goodwill;  goodwill,  although  the  words  which 
expressed  it  were  curses  and  the  men  who  waved 
their  hats  were  blasphemers  and  cut-throats. 

Away  sailed  our  gentle  and  most  respectable 
party,  with  the  Jolly  Roger  floating  boldly  high 
above  them.  Kate,  looking  skyward,  noticed  this 
and  took  courage  to  bewail  the  fact  to  Captain 
Ichabod. 

He  smiled.  "  While  we're  in  sight  of  my 
Brethren  of  the  Coast, ' '  he  said,  '  '  our  skull  and 
bones  must  wave,  but  when  we're  well  out  at 
sea  we  will  run  up  an  English  flag,  if  it  please 
you. ' ' 


319 


CHAPTER   XXX 


DAME   CHARTER    MAKES   A    FRIEND 


APTAIN  ICHABOD  was  in 
high  feather.  He  whistled,  he 
sang,  and  he  kept  his  men 
cleaning  things.  All  that  he 
could  do  for  the  comfort  of  his  passengers  he 
did,  even  going  so  far  as  to  drop  as  many  of 
his  "  bedads  "  as  possible.  Whenever  he  had 
an  opportunity,  and  these  came  frequently,  he 
talked  to  Mr.  Delaplaine,  addressing  a  word  or 
two  to  Kate  if  he  thought  she  looked  gracious. 
For  the  first  day  or  two  Dame  Charter  kept  be- 
low. She  was  afraid  of  the  men,  and  did  not 
even  want  to  look  at  them  if  she  could  help  it. 
"  But  the  good  woman's  all  wrong,"  said 
Captain  Ichabod  to  Mr.  Delaplaine;  "  my  men 
would  not  hurt  her.  They're  not  the  most  tre- 
mendous kind  of  pirates,  anyway,  for  I  could 
not  afford  that  sort,  I  have  often  thought  that 
I  could  make  more  profitable  voyages  if  I  had 
a  savager  lot  of  men.  I'll  tell  you,  sir,  we  once 
tried  to  board  a  big  Spanish  galleon,  and  the 

320 


DAME    CHARTER    MAKES   A   FRIEND 

beastly  foreigners  beat  us  off,  bedad,  and  we 
had  a*  hard  time  of  it  gettin'  away.  There  are 
three  or  four  good  fellows  in  the  crew,  tough  old 
rascals  who  came  with  the  sloop  when  I  bought 
her,  but  most  of  my  men  are  but  poor  knaves, 
and  not  to  be  afraid  of. ' ' 

This  comfort  Mr.  Delaplaine  kept  to  himself, 
and  on  the  second  day  out.  the  food  which  was 
served  to  them  being  most  wretchedly  cooked. 
Dame  Charter  ventured  into  the  galley  to  see  if 
she  could  do  anything  in  the  way  of  improve- 
ment. 

"  I  think  you  may  eat  this,"  she  said,  when 
she  returned  to  Kate,  "  but  I  don't  think  that 
anything  on  board  is  fit  for  you.  AVhen  I  went 
to  the  kitchen.  I  came  near  dropping  dead  right 
in  the  doorway ;  that  cook.  Mistress  Kate,  is  the 
most  terrible  creature  of  all  the  pirates  that 
ever  were  born.  His  eyes  are  blistering  green 
and  his  beard  is  all  twisted  into  points,  with  the 
ends  stuck  fast  with  blood,  which  has  never  been 
washed  off.  He  roars  like  a  lion,  with  shining 
teeth,  but  he  speaks  very  fair.  Mistress  Kate: 
you  would  be  amazed  to  hear  how  fair  he  speaks. 
He  told  me.  and  every  word  he  said  set  my  teeth 
on  edge  with  its  grating,  that  he  wanted  to  know 
how  I  liked  the  meals  cooked ;  that  he  would  do 
it  right  if  there  were  things  on  board  to  do  it  with. 
Which  there  are  not.  Mistress  Kate.  And  when 
he  was  beatin'  up  that  batter  for  me  and  I  asked 
him  if  he  was  not  tired  workin*  so  hard,  he  pulled 

321 


KATE   BONNET 

up  his  sleeve  and  showed  me  his  arm,  which 
was  like  a  horse's  leg,  all  covered  with  hair,  and 
asked  me  if  I  thought  it  was  likely  he  could  tear 
himself  with  a  spoon.  I'm  sure  he  would  give 
us  better  food  if  he  could,  for  he  leaned  over  and 
whispered  to  me,  like  a  gust  of  wind  coming  in 
through  the  door,  that  the  captain  was  in  a  very 
hard  case,  having  lately  lost  everything  he  had 
at  the  gaming-table,  and  therefore  had  not  the 
money  to  store  the  ship  as  he  would  have  done. ' ' 

"  Oh,  don't  talk  about  that,  Dame  Charter," 
said  Kate;  "  if  we  can  get  enough  to  eat,  no 
matter  what  it  is,  we  must  be  satisfied  and  think 
only  of  our  great  joy  in  sailing  to  my  father 
and  to  your  Dickory. ' ' 

That  afternoon  Captain  Ichabod  found  Kate 
by  herself  on  deck,  and  he  made  bold  to  sit  down 
by  her ;  and  before  he  knew  what  he  was  about, 
he  was  telling  her  his  whole  story.  She  listened 
carefully  to  what  he  said.  He  touched  but  light- 
ly upon  his  wickednesses,  although  they  were 
plain  enough  to  any  listener  of  sense,  and  be- 
moaned his  fearful  passion  for  gaming,  which 
was  sure  to  bring  him  to  misery  one  day  or  an- 
other. 

"  When  I  have  staked  my  vessel  and  have 
lost  it,"  said  he,  "  then  there  will  be  an  end 
of  me." 

"  But  why  don't  you  sell  your  vessel  be- 
fore you  lose  it,"  said  Kate,  "  and  become  a 
farmer?  " 

322 


DAME   CHARTER    MAKES   A   FRIEND 

His  eyes  brightened.  "  I  never  thought  of 
that,"  said  he.  "  Bedad— excuse  me,  Miss- 
some  day  when  I've  got  a  little  together  and 
can  pay  my  men  I'll  sell  this  sloop  and  buy  a 
farm,  bedad— I  beg  your  pardon,  Miss— I'll  buy 
a  farm." 

Kate  smiled,  but  it  was  easy  to  see  that  Cap- 
tain Ichabod  was  in  earnest. 

The  next  day  Captain  Ichabod  came  to  Mr. 
Delaplaine  and  took  him  to  one  side.  "  I  want 
to  speak  to  you, ' '  he  said,  ' '  about  a  bit  of  busi- 
ness." 

"  You  may  have  noticed,  sir,  that  we  are 
somewhat  short  of  provisions,  and  the  way  of  it 
is  this.  The  night  before  we  sailed,  hoping 
to  make  a  bold  stroke  at  the  card-table  and  there- 
by fit  out  my  vessel  in  a  manner  suitable  to  the 
entertainment  of  a  gentleman  and  ladies,  I  lost 
every  penny  I  had.  I  did  hope  that  our  pro- 
visions would  last  us  a  few  days  longer,  but  I 
am  disappointed,  sir.  That  cook  of  mine,  who  is 
a  soft-hearted  fellow,  his  neck  always  ready  for 
the  heel  of  a  woman,  has  thrown  overboard  even 
the  few  stores  we  had  left  for  you,  the  good 
Dame  Charter  having  told  him  they  were  not  fit 
to  eat.  And  more,  sir,  even  my  men  are  grum- 
bling. So  I  thought  I  would  speak  to  you  and 
explain  that  it  would  be  necessary  for  us  to  over- 
haul a  merchantman  and  replenish  our  food  sup- 
ply. It  can  be  done  very  quietly,  sir,  and  I  don't 
think  that  even  the  ladies  need  be  disturbed." 

323 


KATE   BONNET 

Mr.  Delaplaine  stared  in  amazement.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  say, ' '  he  exclaimed, ' 4  that  you  want 
me  to  consent  to  your  committing  piracy  for  our 
benefit!  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  captain,  "  that's 
what  I  suppose  you  would  call  it;  but  that's  my 
business. ' ' 

"  Now,  sir,  I  wish  you  to  know  that  I  am  a 
Christian  and  a  gentleman,"  said  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine. 

"  That's  all  very  true,  bedad,"  said  Captain 
Ichabod,  "  but  you're  also  another  thing;  you're 
a  human  being,  and  you  must  eat. ' ' 

"  This  is  terrible,"  exclaimed  the  merchant, 
"  that  at  my  time  of  life  I  should  consent  to  a 
felony  at  sea,  and  to  profit  by  it.  I  cannot  bear  to 
think  of  the  wickedness  and  the  disgrace  of  it. ' ' 

' '  Most  respected  sir, ' '  said  Ichabod,  ' '  if  the 
fellows  behave  themselves  properly  and  don't 
offer  to  fight  us,  then  there'll  be  no  wickedness, 
bedad.  I  can  make  a  good  enough  show  of  men 
to  frighten  any  ordinary  merchant  crew  so  that 
not  a  blow  need  be  struck.  And  that  is  what  I 
expect  to  do,  sir.  I  would  not  have  any  disturb- 
ance before  ladies,  you  may  be  sure  of  that,  be- 
dad. We  bear  down  upon  a  vessel;  we  order 
her  to  surrender ;  we  take  what  we  want,  and  we 
let  her  go.  Truly,  there's  no  wickedness  in  that ! 
And  as  for  the  disgrace,  we  can  all  better  bear 
that  than  starve. ' ' 

Mr.  Delaplaine  looked  at  the  pirate  without  a 

324 


DAME   CHARTER   MAKES   A   FRIEND 

word.  He  could  not  comprehend  how  a  man 
with  such  a  frank  and  honest  face  could  thus 
avow  his  dishonest  principles.  But  as  he  gazed 
and  wondered  the  thought  of  a  scheme  flashed 
across  the  mind  of  the  merchant,  a  thoroughly 
business-like  scheme.  This  bold  young  pirate 
captain  might  seize  upon  such  supplies  as  they 
were  in  need  of,  but  he,  Felix  Delaplaine,  of 
Spanish  Town,  Jamaica,  would  pay  for  them. 
Thus  might  their  necessities  be  relieved  and 
their  consciences  kept  clean.  But  he  said  noth- 
ing of  this  to  Ichabod;  the  pirate  might  deem 
such  a  proceeding  unprofessional  and  interpose 
some  objection.  Payment  would  be  the  mer- 
chant's part  of  the  business,  and  he  would  at- 
tend to  it  himself.  A  look  of  resignation  now 
came  over  Mr.  Delaplaine 's  face. 

"  Captain,"  said  he,  "  I  must  yield  to  your 
reason;  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  we  shall 
not  starve. ' ' 

Ichabod 's  face  shone  and  he  held  out  his 
hand.  "  Bedad,  sir,"  he  cried,  "  I  honour  you 
as  a  bold  gentleman  and  a  kind  one.  I  will  in- 
stantly lay  my  course  somewhat  to  the  eastward, 
and  I  promise  you,  sir,  it  will  not  be  long  be- 
fore we  run  across  some  of  these  merchant 
fellows.  I  beg  you,  sir,  speak  to  your  ladies 
and  tell  them  that  there  will  be  no  unpleasant 
commotion ;  we  may  draw  our  swords  and  make 
a  fierce  show,  but,  bedad,  I  don't  believe  there'll 
be  any  fighting.    "We  shall  want  so  little— for  I 

325 


KATE   BONNET 

would  not  attempt  to  take  a  regular  prize  with 
ladies  on  board— that  the  fellows  will  surely  de- 
liver what  we  demand,  the  quicker  to  make  an 
end  of  it." 

"  If  you  are  perfectly  sure,"  said  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine,  "  that  you  can  restrain  your  men  from 
violence,  I  would  like  to  be  a  member  of  your 
boarding  party;  it  would  be  a  rare  experience 
for  me." 

Now  Captain  Ichabod  fairly  shouted  with  de- 
light. 

' '  Bravo !  Bravo !  "  he  exclaimed ; ' '  I  didn  't 
dream,  sir,  that  you  were  a  man  of  such  a  noble 
spirit.  You  shall  go  with  us,  sir.  Your  presence 
will  aid  greatly  in  making  our  hoped-for  capture 
a  most  orderly  affair ;  no  one  can  look  upon  you, 
bedad,  without  knowing  that  you  are  a  high- 
minded  and  honourable  man,  and  would  not  take 
a  box  or  case  from  any  one  if  you  did  not  need 
it.  Now,  sir,  we  shall  put  about,  and  by  good 
fortune  we  may  soon  sight  a  merchantman. 
Even  if  it  be  but  a  coastwise  trader,  it  may  serve 
our  purpose." 

Mr.  Delaplaine,  with  something  of  a  smile 
upon  his  sedate  face,  hurried  to  Kate,  who  was 
upon  the  quarter-deck. 

"  My  dear,  we  are  about  to  introduce  a  little 
variety  into  our  dull  lives.  As  soon  as  we  can 
overhaul  a  merchantman  we  shall  commit  a  pi- 
racy. But  don't  turn  pale;  I  have  arranged  it 
all." 

326 


DAME  CHARTER  MAKES  A  FRIEND 

' '  You !  ' '  exclaimed  the  wide-eyed  Kate. 

"  Yes,"  said  her  uncle,  and  he  told  his  tale. 

"  And  remember  this,  my  dear,"  he  added; 
"  if  we  cannot  pay,  we  do  not  eat.  I  shall  be 
as  relentless  as  the  bloody  Blackbeard;  if  they 
take  not  my  money,  I  shall  swear  to  Ichabod 
that  we  touch  not  their  goods." 

"  And  are  you  sure,"  she  said,  "  that  there 
will  be  no  bloodshed !  ' ' 

"  I  vouch  for  that,"  said  he,  "  for  I  shall 
lead  the  boarding  party. ' ' 

She  took  him  by  both  hands.  "  Why,"  she 
said,  "  it  need  be  no  more  than  laying  in  goods 
from  a  store-house;  and  I  cannot  but  be  glad, 
dear  uncle,  for  I  am  so  very,  very  hungry." 

Now  Dame  Charter  came  running  and  puff- 
ing. "  Do  you  know,"  she  cried,  "  that  there 
is  to  be  a  piracy?  The  word  has  just  been  passed 
and  the  cook  told  me.  There  is  to  be  no  bloo 
shed,  and  the  other  ship  will  not  be  burned  an<  1 
the  people  will  not  be  made  to  walk  a  plank. 
The  captain  has  given  those  orders,  and  he  is 
very  firm,  swearing,  I  am  told,  much  more  than 
is  his  wont.  It  is  dreadful,  it  is  awful  just  to 
.think  about,  but  the  provisions  are  gone,  and  it 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  do  something,  and  it 
will  really  be  very  exciting.  The  cook  tells  me 
he  will  put  me  in  a  good  place  where  I  cannot 
be  hurt  and  where  I  shall  see  everything.  And, 
Mistress  Kate  and  Master  Delaplaine,  I  dare  say 
he  can  take  care  of  you  too. ' ' 

327 


KATE   BONNET 

Kate  looked  at  her  uncle  as  if  to  ask  if  she 
might  tell  the  good  woman  what  sort  of  a  piracy 
this  was  to  be,  but  he  shook  his  head.  It  would 
not  do  to  interfere  any  more  than  was  necessary 
with  the  regular  progress  of  events.  The  cap- 
tain came  up,  excited.  ' '  Even  now,  bedad, ' '  he 
cried,  "  there  are  two  sails  in  sight— one  far 
north,  and  the  other  to  the  eastward,  beating  up 
this  way.  This  one  we  shall  make  for.  We  have 
the  wind  with  us,  which  is  a  good  thing,  for  the 
Restless  is  a  bad  sailer  and  has  lost  many  a  prize 
through  that  fault.  And  now,  Miss,"  he  said, 
addressing  Kate,  "  I  shall  have  to  ask  your  leave 
to  take  down  that  English  flag  and  run  up  our 
Jolly  Roger.  It  will  be  necessary,  for  if  the 
fellows  fear  not  our  long  guns,  they  may  change 
their  course  and  get  away  from  us. ' ' 

"  That  will  be  right,"  said  Kate;  "  if  we're 
going  to  be  pirates,  we  might  as  well  be  pirates 
out  and  out. ' ' 

Captain  Ichabod  glowed  with  delight. 
"  "What  a  girl  this  was,  and  what  an  uncle!  " 

It  was  not  long,  for  the  Restless  had  a  fair 
wind,  before  the  sail  to  the  eastward  came  fully 
into  sight.  She  was,  in  good  truth,  a  merchant- 
man, and  not  a  large  one.  Dame  Charter,  very 
much  excited,  wondered  what  she  would  have 
on  board. 

1 '  The  cook  tells  me, ' '  said  she  to  Kate, ' '  that 
sometimes  ships  from  the  other  side  of  the  ocean 
carry  the  most  astonishing  and  beautiful  things. ' ' 

328 


DAME   CHARTER   MAKES   A  FRIEND 

"  But  we  shall  not  see  these  things,"  said 
Kate, ' '  even  if  that  ship  carries  them.  We  shall 
take  but  food,  and  shall  not  unnecessarily  despoil 
them  of  that.  We  may  be  pirates,  but  we  shall 
not  be  wicked." 

"  It  is  hard  to  see  the  difference, ' '  said  Dame 
Charter,  with  a  sigh,  "  but  we  must  eat.  The 
cook  tells  me  that  they  have  made  peaceful  prizes 
before  now.  This  they  do  when  they  want  some 
particular  thing,  such  as  food  or  money,  and 
care  not  for  the  trouble  of  stripping  the  ship, 
putting  all  on  board  to  death,  and  then  setting 
her  on  fire.  The  cook  never  does  any  boarding 
himself,  so  he  says,  but  he  stands  on  the  deck 
here,  armed  with  his  great  axe,  which  likes  him 
better  than  a  cutlass,  and  no  matter  what  hap- 
pens, he  defends  his  kitchen." 

* '  From  his  looks, ' '  said  Kate,  ' '  I  should  im- 
agine him  to  be  the  fiercest  fighter  among  them 
all." 

"  But  that  is  not  so,"  said  Dame  Charter; 
"  he  tells  me  that  he  is  of  a  very  peaceable  mind 
and  would  never  engage  in  any  broils  or  fights 
if  he  could  help  it.  Look!  look!  "  she  cried, 
' '  they're  running  out  their  long  brass  guns ;  and 
do  you  see  that  other  ship,  how  her  sails  are 
fluttering  in  the  wind?  And  there,  that  little 
spot  at  the  top  of  her  mast ;  that 's  her  flag,  and 
it  is  coming  down !  Down,  down  it  comes,  and 
I  must  run  to  the  cook  and  ask  him  what  will 
happen  next. ' ' 

22  329 


CHAPTER  XXXI 


MR.  DELAPLAINE  LEADS  A  BOARDING  PARTY 


upon  its  decks  the  happy  Man- 
der  family  and  our  poor  friend  Dickory,  carry- 
ing with  him  his  lifelong  destiny  in  the  shape  of 
the  blood-stained  letter  from  Captain  Vince. 

The  sackcloth  draperies  of  Lucilla,  with  the 
red  cord  lightly  tied  about  them,  had  given  place 
to  a  very  ordinary  gown  fashioned  by  her  mother 
and  herself,  which  added  so  few  charms  to  her 
young  face  and  sparkling  eyes  that  Dickory  often 
thought  that  he  wished  there  were  some  bushes 
on  deck  so  that  she  might  stand  behind  them 
and  let  him  see  only  her  face,  as  he  had  seen  it 
when  first  he  met  her.  But  he  saw  the  pretty 
face  a  great  deal,  for  Lucilla  was  very  anxious 
to  know  things,  and  asked  many  questions  about 
Barbadoes,  and  also  asked  if  there  was  any  prob- 
ability that  the  brig  would  go  straight  on  to  that 
lovely  island  without  bothering  to  stop  at  Ja- 
maica.    It  was  during  such  talks  as  this  that 

330 


DELAPLAINE  LEADS  BOARDING  PARTY 

Dickory  forgot,  when  be  did  forget,  the  blood- 
stained letter  that  he  carried  with  hirn  always. 

Our  young  friend  still  wore  the  naval  uni- 
form, although  in  coming  on  the  brig  he  had 
changed  it  for  some  rough  sailor's  clothes.  But 
Lucilla  had  besought  him  to  be  again  a  brave 
lieutenant. 

They  sailed  and  they  sailed,  and  there  was 
but  little  wind,  and  that  from  the  south  and 
against  them.  But  Lucilla  did  not  complain  at 
their  slow  progress.  The  slowest  vessel  in  the 
world  was  preferable  just  now  to  a  desert  island 
which  never  moved. 

Davids  was  at  the  wheel  and  Mander  stood 
near  him.  These  old  friends  had  not  yet  fin- 
ished talking  about  what  had  happened  in  the 
days  since  they  had  seen  each  other.  Mrs.  Man- 
der sat,  not  far  away,  still  making  clothes,  and 
the  little  Lena  was  helping  her  in  her  childlike 
way.  Lucilla  and  Dickory  were  still  talking 
about  Barbadoes.  There  never  was  a  girl  who 
wanted  to  know  so  much  about  an  island  as  that 
girl  wanted  to  know  about  Barbadoes. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  shout  from  above. 

"  What's  that?  "  asked  Mander. 

"  A  sail,"  said  Davids,  peering  out  over  the 
sea  but  able  to  see  nothing.  Lucilla  and  Dickory 
did  not  cease  talking.  At  that  moment  Lucilla 
did  not  care  greatly  about  sails,  there  was  so 
much  to  be  said  about  Barbadoes. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  talking  forward, 

331 


KATE   BONNET 

and  after  a  while  the  captain  walked  to  the  quar- 
ter-deek.  He  was  a  gruff  man  and  his  face  was 
troubled. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  he  growled,  "  that  the 
ship  we  have  sighted  is  a  pirate;  she  flies  the 
black  flag." 

Now  there  was  no  more  talk  about  Barbadoes, 
or  what  had  happened  to  old  friends,  and  the 
sewing  dropped  on  the  deck.  Those  poor  Man- 
ders  were  chilled  to  the  soul.  Were  they  again 
to  be  taken  by  pirates? 

"  Captain,"  cried  Mander,  "  what  can  we  do, 
can  we  run  away  from  them?  " 

"  We  could  not  run  away  from  their  gun-." 
growled  the  captain, ' '  and  there  is  nothing  to  do: 
They  intend  to  take  this  brig,  and  that's  the  rea- 
son they  have  run  up  their  skull  and  bones. 
They  are  bearing  directly  down  upon  us  with  a 
fair  wind;  they  will  be  firing  a  gun* presently, 
and  then  I  shall  lay  to  and  wait  for  them. ' ' 

Mander  stepped  towards  Dickoiy  and  Lucilla ; 
his  voice  was  husky  as  he  said:  "  We  cannot 
expect,  my  dear,  that  we  shall  again  be  captured 
by  forbearing  pirates.  I  shall  kill  my  wife  and 
little  daughter  rather  than  they  shall  fall  into 
the  bloody  hands  of  ordinary  pirates,  and  to  you, 
sir,  I  will  commit  the  care  of  my  Lucilla.  If 
this  vessel  is  delivered  over  to  a  horde  of  sav- 
ages, I  pray  you,  plunge  your  dirk  into  her 
heart." 

"  Yes,"  said  Lucilla,  clinging  to  the  arm  of 

332 


DELAPLAIXE  LEADS  BOARDING  PARTY 

Dickory,  ' '  if  those  fierce  pirates  shall  attack  us, 
we  will  die  together.1 ' 

Dickory  shook  his  head.  In  an  awful  mo- 
ment such  as  this  he  could  hold  out  no  illusions. 
• '  No, ' '  said  he,  "  I  cannot  die  with  you ;  I  have 
a  duty  before  me,  and  until  it  is  accomplished 
I  cannot  willingly  give  up  my  life.  I  must 
rather  be  even  a  pirate's  slave  than  that.  But 
I  will  accept  your  father's  charge;  should  there 
be  need,  I  will  kill  you." 

"  Thank  vou  very  much,"  said  Lucilla 
coolly. 

To  the  surprise  of  the  people  on  the  Black 
Swan  there  came  no  shot  from  the  approaching 
pirate;  but  as  she  still  bore  down  upon  them, 
running  before  the  wind,  the  captain  of  the  brig 
lay  to  and  lowered  his  flag.  Submission  now 
was  all  there  was  before  them.  Xo  man  on  the 
brig  took  up  arms,  nor  did  the  crew  form  them- 
selves into  any  show  of  resistance;  that  would 
have  but  made  matters  worse. 

As  the  pirate  vessel  came  on,  nearer  and 
nearer,  a  great  number  of  men  could  be  seen 
stretched  along  her  deck,  and  some  brass  cannon 
were  visible  trained  upon  the  unfortunate  brig. 

But.  to  the  surprise  of  the  captain  of  the 
Black  Swan,  and  of  nearly  everybody  on  board 
of  her,  the  pirate  did  not  run  down  upon  her 
to  make  fast  and  board.  Instead  of  that,  she  put 
about  into  the  wind  and  lav  to  less  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  away.     Then  two  boats  were  low- 

333 


KATE   BONNET 

ered  and  filled  with  men,  who  rowed  towards 
the  brig. 

"  They  have  special  reasons  for  our  cap- 
ture, ' '  said  the  captain  to  those  who  were  crowd- 
ing about  him;  "  he  may  be  well  laden  now 
with  plunder,  and  comes  to  us  for  our  gold  and 
silver.  Or  it  may  be  that  he  merely  wants  the 
brig.  If  that  be  so,  he  can  quickly  rid  himself 
of  us." 

That  was  a  cruel  speech  when  women  had 
to  hear  it,  but  the  captain  was  a  rough  fellow. 

The  boats  came  on  as  quietly  as  if  they  were 
about  to  land  at  a  neighbouring  pier.  Dickory 
and  Lucilla  cautiously  peeped  over  the  rail,  Dick- 
ory without  his  hat,  and  Lucilla,  hiding  herself, 
all  but  a  part  of  her  face,  behind  him ;  the  Man- 
ders  crouched  together  on  the  deck,  the  father 
with  glaring  eyes  and  a  knife  in  his  hand.  The 
crew  stood,  with  their  hats  removed  and  their 
chins  lowered,  waiting  for  what  might  happen 
next. 

Up  to  this  time  Dickory  had  shown  no  signs 
of  fear,  although  his  mind  was  terribly  tossed 
and  disturbed;  for,  whatever  might  happen  to 
him,  it  possibly  would  be  the  end  of  that  mis- 
sion which  was  now  the  only  object  of  his  life. 
But  he  grated  his  teeth  together  and  awaited  his 
fate. 

But  now,  as  the  boats  came  nearer,  he  began 
to  tremble,  and  gradually  his  knees  shook  under 
him. 

334 


DELAPLAIXE  LEADS  BOARDING  PARTY 

' '  I  would  not  have  believed  that  he  was  such 
a  coward  as  that,"  thought  Lucilla. 

The  boats  neared  the  ship  and  were  soon 
made  fast;  every  help  was  offered  by  the  crew 
of  the  brig,  and  not  a  sign  of  resistance  was 
shown.  The  leader  of  the  pirates  mounted  to  the 
deck,  followed  by  the  greater  part  of  his  men. 

For  a  moment  Captain  Ichabod  glanced  about 
him,  and  then,  addressing  the  captain  of  the  brig, 
he  said:  "  This  is  all  very  well.  I  am  glad  to 
see  that  you  have  sense  enough  to  take  things 
as  you  find  them,  and  not  to  stir  up  a  fracas 
and  make  trouble.  I  overhauled  you  that  I  might 
lay  in  a  stock  of  provisions,  and  some  wine  and 
spirits  besides,  having  no  desire,  if  you  treat  us 
rightly,  to  despoil  you  further.  So,  we  shall 
have  no  more  words  about  it,  bedad,  and  if  you 
will  set  your  men  to  work  to  get  on  deck  such 
stores  as  my  quarter-master  here  may  demand 
of  you,  we  shall  get  through  this  business  quick- 
ly. In  the  meantime,  lower  two  or  three  boats, 
so  that  your  men  can  row  the  goods  over  to  my 
vessel." 

The  captain  of  the  Black  Swan  simply  bowed 
his  head  and  turned  away  to  obey  orders,  while 
Captain  Ichabod  stepped  a  little  aft  and  began 
to  survey  the  captured  vessel.  As  soon  as  his 
back  was  turned,  the  captain  of  the  brig  was 
approached  by  a  very  respectable  elderly  gentle- 
man, apparently  not  engaged  either  in  the  mer- 
cantile  marine   or   in   piratical   pursuits,   who 

335 


KATE   BONNET 

stopped  lrira  and  said :  ' '  Sir,  my  name  is  Felix 
Delaplaine,  merchant,  of  Spanish  Town,  Jamai- 
ca. I  am,  against  my  will,  engaged  in  this  pirat- 
ical attack  upon  your  vessel,  but  I  wish  to  assure 
you  privately  that  I  will  not  consent  to  have  you 
robbed  of  your  property,  and  that,  although  some 
of  your  provisions  may  be  taken  by  these  pirates, 
I  here  promise,  as  an  honourable  gentleman,  to 
pay  you  the  full  value  of  all  that  they  seize 
upon. ' ' 

The  captain  of  the  Black  Swan  had  no  oppor- 
tunity to  make  an  answer  to  this  most  extraor- 
dinary statement,  for  at  that  moment  a  naval 
officer,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  came 
rushing  towards  the  respectable  gentleman  who 
had  just  been  making  such  honourable  pro- 
posals. Almost  at  the  same  moment  there  was 
a  great  shout  from  Captain  Ichabod,  who,  draw- 
ing his  cutlass  from  its  sheath,  raised  the  glit- 
tering blade  and  dashed  in  pursuit  of  the  naval 
gentleman. 

"  Hold  there!  Hold  there!  "  cried  the  pi- 
rate. "  Don't  you  touch  him;  don't  you  lay 
your  hand  upon  him !  ' ' 

But  Ichabod  was  not  quick  enough.  Dickory, 
swift  as  a  stag,  stretched  out  both  his  arms  and 
threw  them  around  the  neck  of  the  amazed  Mr. 
Delaplaine. 

Now  the  pirate  Ichabod  reached  the  two ;  his 
great  sword  went  high  in  air,  and  was  about  to 
descend  upon  the  naval  person,  whoever  he  was, 

336 


DELAPLAINE  LEADS  BOARDING  PARTY 

who  had  made  such  an  unprovoked  attack  upon 
his  honoured  passenger,  when  his  arm  was 
caught  by  some  one  from  behind.  Turning,  with 
a  great  curse,  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  face  of  a 
young  girl. 

"  Oh,  don't  kill  him!  Don't  kill  him!  "  she 
cried,  ' '  he  will  hurt  nobody ;  he  is  only  hugging 
the  old  gentleman. ' ' 

Captain  Ichabod  looked  from  the  girl  to  the 
two  men,  who  were  actually  embracing  each 
other.  Dickory  's  back  was  towards  him,  but  the 
face  of  Mr.  Delaplaine  fairly  glowed  with  de- 
light. 

"  Oho!  "  said  Ichabod,  turning  to  Lucilla, 
1 '  and  what  does  this  mean,  bedad  ?  ' ' 

"  I  don't  know,"  she  answered,  "  but  the 
gentleman  in  the  uniform  is  a  good  man.  Per- 
haps the  other  one  is  his  father." 

1 '  To  my  eyes, ' '  said  Captain  Ichabod,  ' '  this 
is  a  most  fearsome  mix. ' ' 

The  Mander  family,  and  nearly  everybody 
else  on  board,  crowded  about  the  little  group, 
gazing  with  all  their  eyes  but  asking  no  ques- 
tions. 

"  Captain  Ichabod,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine, holding  Dickory  by  the  hand,  "  this  is 
one  of  the  two  persons  you  were  taking  us  to  find. 
This  is  Dickory  Charter,  the  son  of  good  Dame 
Charter,  now  on  your  vessel.  He  went  away 
with  Blackbeard,  and  we  were  in  search  of  him. ' ' 

"  Oho!  "  cried  Captain  Ichabod,  "  by  my 

337 


KATE   BONNET 

life  I  believe  it.  That's  the  young  fellow  that 
Blackbeard  dressed  up  in  a  cocked  hat  and  took 
away  with  him." 

"lam  the  same  person,  sir, ' '  said  Dickory. 

"  So  far  so  good,"  said  Captain  Ichabod. 
"Iani  very  glad  that  I  did  not  bring  down  my 
cutlass  on  you,  which  I  should  have  done,  bedad, 
had  it  not  been  for  this  young  woman." 

Now  up  spoke  Mr.  Delaplaine.  "  We  have 
found  you,  Dickory,"  he  cried,  "  but  what  can 
you  tell  us  of  Major  Bonnet?  " 

"  Ay,  ay,"  added  Captain  Ichabod,  "  there's 
another  one  we're  after;  where 's  the  runaway 
Sir  Nightcap?  " 

' '  Alas !  ' '  said  Dickory,  "  I  do  not  know.  I 
escaped  from  Blackbeard,  and  since  that  day 
have  heard  nothing.  I  had  supposed  that  Cap- 
tain Bonnet  was  in  your  company,  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine." 

Now  the  captain  of  the  Black  Swan  pushed 
himself  forward.  "  Is  it  Captain  Bonnet,  lately 
of  the  pirate  ship  Revenge,  that  you're  talking 
about?  "he  asked.  "  If  so,  I  may  tell  you  some- 
thing of  him.  I  am  lately  from  Charles  Town, 
and  the  talk  there  was  that  Blackbeard  was  lying 
outside  the  harbour  in  Stede  Bonnet's  old  ves- 
sel, and  that  Bonnet  had  lately  joined  him.  I  did 
not  venture  out  of  port  until  I  had  had  certain 
news  that  these  pirates  had  sailed  northward. 
They  had  two  or  three  ships,  and  the  talk  was 
that  they  were  bound  to  the  Virginias,  and  per- 

338 


DELAPLAINE  LEADS  BOARDING  PARTY 

haps  still  farther  north.     They  were  fitted  out 
for  a  long  cruise." 

"  Gone  again!  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Delaplaine  in 
a  hoarse  voice.    ' '  Gone  again !  ' ' 

Captain  Ichabod's  face  grew  clouded. 

"  Gone  north  of  Charles  Town,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "  that's  bad,  bedad,  that's  very  bad. 
You  are  sure  he  did  not  sail  southward?  "  he 
asked  of  the  captain  of  the  brig. 

That  gruff  mariner  was  in  a  strange  state  of 
mind.  He  had  just  been  captured  by  a  pirate, 
and  in  the  next  moment  had  made,  what  might 
be  a  very  profitable  sale,  to  a  respectable  mer- 
chant, of  the  goods  the  pirate  was  about  to  take 
from  him.  Moreover,  the  said  pirate  seemed  to 
be  in  the  employ  of  said  merchant,  and  alto- 
gether, things  seemed  to  him  to  be  in  as  fear- 
some a  mix  as  they  had  seemed  to  Captain  Icha- 
bod,  but  he  brought  his  mind  down  to  the  ques- 
tion he  had  been  asked. 

1 '  Xo  doubt  about  that, ' '  said  he ;  "  there 
were  some  of  his  men  in  the  town— for  they  are 
afraid  of  nobody— and  they  were  not  backward 
in  talking." 

"  That  upsets  things  badly,"  said  Captain 
Ichabod,  without  unclouding  his  brow.  "  With 
my  slow  vessel  and  my  empty  purse,  bedad,  I 
don't  see  how  I  am  ever  goin'  to  catch  Black- 
beard  if  he  has  gone  north.  Finding  Blackbeard 
would  have  been  a  handful  of  trumps  to  me,  but 
the  game  seems  to  be  up,  bedad." 

339 


KATE   BONNET 

The  captain  of  the  brig  and  Ichabod's  quar- 
ter-master went  away  to  attend  to  the  transfer 
of  the  needed  goods  to  the  Restless.  Mander, 
with  his  wife  and  little  daughter,  were  standing 
together  gazing  with  amazement  at  the  strange 
pirates  who  had  come  aboard,  while  Lucilla 
stepped  up  to  Dickory,  who  stood  silent,  with 
his  eyes  on  the  deck. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  what  this  means?  "  said 
she. 

For  a  moment  he  did  not  answer,  and  then 
he  said :  "  I  don 't  know  everything  myself,  but 
I  must  presently  go  on  board  that  vessel." 

' '  What !  ' '  exclaimed  Lucilla,  stepping  back. 
"  Is  she  there?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Dickory. 


340 


CHAPTER   XXXII 


THE  DELIVERY  OF  THE  LETTER 


^>^<^" 


¥*  %r. 


HE  sea  was  smooth  and 
the  wind  light,  and  the  trans- 
fer of  provisions  from  the  Black 
Swan  to  the  pirate  sloop,  which 
two  ships  now  lay  as  near  each 
other  as  safety  would  permit,  was  accomplished 
qnietly. 

During  the  progress  of  the  transfer  Captain 
Ichabod's  boat  was  rowed  back  to  his  ship,  and 
its  arrival  was  watched  with  great  interest  by 
everybody  on  board  that  pirate  sloop.  Kate  and 
Dame  Charter,  as  well  as  all  the  men  who  stood 
looking  over  the  rail,  were  amazed  to  see  a  naval 
officer  accompanying  the  captairi  and  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine  on  their  return.  But  that  amazement  was 
greatly  increased  when  that  officer,  as  soon  as  he 
set  foot  upon  the  deck,  removed  his  hat  and  made 
directly  for  Dame  Charter,  who,  with  a  scream 
loud  enough  to  frighten  the  fishes,  enfolded 
him  in  her  arms  and  straightway  fainted.  It 
was  like  a  son  coming  up  out  of  the  sea,  sure 
enough,  as  she  afterward  stated.     Kate,  recog- 

341 


KATE   BOXXET 

nising  Dickory,  hurried  to  him  with  a  scream  of 
her  own  and  both  hands  outstretched,  but  the 
young  fellow,  who  seemed  greatly  distressed  at 
the  unconscious  condition  of  his  mother,  did  not 
greet  Mistress  Bonnet  with  the  enthusiastic 
delight  which  might  have  been  expected  under 
the  circumstances.  He  seemed  troubled  and 
embarrassed,  which,  perhaps,  was  not  surpris- 
ing, for  never  before  had  he  seen  his  mother 
faint. 

Kate  was  about  to  offer  some  assistance,  but 
as  the  good  Dame  now  showed  signs  of  return- 
ing consciousness,  she  thought  it  would  be  better 
to  leave  the  two  together,  and  in  a  state  of  amaze- 
ment she  was  hurrying  to  her  uncle  when  Dick- 
ory rose  from  the  side  of  his  mother  and  stopped 
her. 

' '  I  have  a  letter  for  you, ' '  he  said,  in  a  husky 
voice. 

"  A  letter?  "  she  cried,  "  from  my  father?  " 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  from  Captain  Vince." 
And  he  handed  her  the  blood-stained  missive. 

Kate  turned  pale  and  stared  at  him ;  here  was 
horrible  mystery.  The  thought  flashed'  through 
the  young  girl's  mind  that  the  wicked  captain 
had  killed  her  father  and  had  written  to  tell 
her  so. 

"  Is  my  father  dead?  "  she  gasped. 

"  Not  that  I  know  of,"  said  Dickory. 

"  Where  is  he?  "  she  cried. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  was  the  answer. 

342 


THE   DELIVERY   OF   THE   LETTER 

She  stood,  holding  the  letter,  while  Dickory 
returned  to  his  mother.  Mr.  Delaplaine  saw  her 
standing  thus,  pale  and  shocked,  but  he  did  not 
hasten  to  her.  He  had  sad  things  to  say  to  her, 
for  his  practical  mind  told  him  that  it  would 
not  be  possible  to  continue  the  search  for  her 
father,  he  having  put  himself  out  of  the  reach 
of  Captain  Ichabod  and  his  inefficient  sloop.  If 
Dickory  had  said  anything  about  her  father 
which  had  so  cast  her  down,  how  much  harder 
would  it  be  for  him  when  he  had  to  tell  her  the 
whole  truth. 

But  Kate  did  not  wait  for  further  speech  from 
anybody.  She  gave  a  great  start,  and  then 
rushed  down  the  companion-way  to  her  cabin. 
There,  with  her  door  shut,  she  opened  the  letter. 
This  was  the  letter,  written  in  lead  pencil,  in  an 
irregular  but  bold  hand,  with  some  letters  partly 
dimmed  where  the  paper  had  been  damp : 

"  At  the  very  end  of  my  life  I  write  to  you 
that  you  have  escaped  the  fiercest  love  that  ever 
a  man  had  for  a  woman.  I  shall  carry  this  love 
with  me  to  hell,  if  it  may  be,  but  you  have 
escaped  it.  This  escape  is  a  blessing,  and  now 
that  I  cannot  help  it  I  give  it  to  you.  Had  I 
lived,  I  should  have  shed  the  blood  of  every  one 
whom  you  loved  to  gain  you  and  you  would  have 
cursed  me.  So  love  me  now  for  dying. 
"  Yours,  anywhere  and  always, 

"  Christopher  Vince." 
343 


KATE   BOXXET 

Kate  put  down  the  letter  and  some  colour 
came  into  her  face ;  she  bowed  her  head  in  thank- 
ful prayer. 

"  He  is  dead,"  she  said,  "  and  now  he  can- 
not harm  my  father. ' '  That  was  the  onlv  thought 
she  had  regarding  this  hot-brained  and  infatu- 
ated lover.  He  was  dead,  her  father  was  safe 
from  him.  How  he  died,  how  Dickory  came  to 
bring  the  letter,  how  anything  had  happened  that 
had  happened  except  the  death  of  Captain  Vince, 
did  not  at  this  moment  concern  her.  Xot  until 
now  had  she  known  how  the  fear  of  the  vengeful 
captain  of  the  Badger  had  constantly  been  with 
her. 

Over  and  over  again  Dickory  told  his  tale  to 
his  mother.  She  interrupted  him  so  much  with 
her  embraces  that  he  could  not  explain  things 
clearly  to  her,  but  she  did  not  care,  she  had  him 
with  her.  He  was  with  her,  and  she  had  fast 
hold  of  him.  and  she  would  never  let  him  go 
again.  What  mattered  it  what  sort  of  clothes 
he  wore,  or  where  he  had  escaped  from— a  fam- 
ily on  a  desert  island  or  from  a  pirate  crew? 
She  had  him,  and  her  happiness  knew  no  bounds. 
Dickory  was  perfectly  willing  to  stay  with  her 
and  to  talk  to  her.  He  did  not  care  to  be  with 
anybody  else,  not  even  with  Mistress  Kate,  who 
had  taken  so  much  interest  in  him  all  the  time 
he  had  been  away;  though,  of  course,  not  so 
much  interest  as  his  own  dear  mother. 

Then  the  good  Dame  Charter,  being  greatly 

344 


THE    DELIVERY    OF    THE   LETTER 

recovered  and  so  happy,  began  to  talk  of  herself. 
Slipping  in  a  disjointed  way  over  her  various 
experiences,  she  told  her  dear  boy,  in  strictest 
confidence,  that  she  was  very  much  disappointed 
in  the  way  pirates  took  ships.  She  thought  it 
was  going  to  be  something  very  exciting  that 
she  would  remember  to  the  end  of  her  days,  and 
wake  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night  and  scream 
when  she  thought  of  it,  but  it  was  nothing  of  the 
kind ;  not  a  shot  was  fired,  not  a  drop  of  blood 
shed ;  there  was  not  even  a  shout  or  a  yell  or  a 
scream  for  mercy.  It  was  all  like  going  into 
the  pantry  to  get  the  flour  and  the  sugar.  She 
was  all  the  time  waiting  for  something  to  hap- 
pen, and  nothing  ever  did.  Dickory  smiled,  but 
it  was  like  watered  milk. 

"  I  do  not  understand  such  piracy, ' '  he  said, 
"  but  supposed,  dear  mother,  that  these  pirates 
had  taken  that  ship  in  the  usual  way,  I  being 
on  board. ' ' 

At  this  he  was  clasped  so  tightly  to  his  moth- 
er's breast  that  he  could  say  no  more. 

The  boats  plied  steadily  between  the  two  ves- 
sels, and  on  one  of  the  trips  Mr.  Delaplaine  went 
over  to  the  brig  on  business,  and  also  glad  to 
escape  for  a  little  the  dreaded  interview  which 
must  soon  come  between  himself  and  his  niece. 

' '  Xow,  sir, ' '  said  the  merchant  to  the  captain 

of  the  brig,  "  you  will  make  a  bill  against  me 

for  the  provisions  which  are  being  taken  to  that 

pirate,  but  I  hope  you  have  reserved  a  sufficient 

23  345 


KATE   BONNET 

store  of  food  for  your  own  maintenance  until 
you  reach  a  port,  and  that  of  myself  and  two 
women  who  wish  to  sail  with  you,  craving  most 
earnestly  that  you  will  land  us  in  Jamaica  or 
in  some  place  convenient  of  access  to  that 
island. " 

"  Which  I  can  do,"  said  the  captain,  "  for 
I  am  bound  to  Kingston ;  and  as  to  subsistence, 
shall  have  plenty." 

On  the  brig  Mr.  Delaplaine  found  Captain 
Ichabod,  who  had  come  over  to  superintend  oper- 
ations, and  who  was  now  talking  to  the  pretty 
girl  who  had  seized  him  by  the  arm  when  he 
was  about  to  slay  the  naval  officer. 

"  I  would  talk  with  you,  captain,"  said  the 
merchant,  "ona  matter  of  immediate  import." 
And  he  led  the  pirate  away  from  the  pretty  girl. 

The  matter  to  be  discussed  was,  indeed,  of 
deep  import. 

"  I  am  loath  to  say  it,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine, "  when  I  think  of  the  hospitality  and 
most  exceptional  kindness  with  which  you  have 
treated  me  and  my  niece,  and  for  which  we  shall 
feel  grateful  all  our  lives,  but  I  think  you  will 
agree  with  me  that  it  would  be  useless  for  us 
to  pursue  the  search  after  that  most  reprehen- 
sible person,  my  brother-in-law,  Bonnet.  There 
can  be  no  doubt,  I  believe,  that  he  and  Black- 
beard  have  left  the  vicinity  of  Charles  Town, 
and  have  gone,  we  know  not  where." 

"  No  doubt  of  that,  bedad,"  said  Ichabod, 


THE    DELIVERY    OF    THE    LETTER 

knitting  his  brows  as  he  spoke ;  "  if  Blackbeard 
had  been  outside  the  harbour,  this  brig  would 
not  have  been  here." 

"  And,  therefore,  sir,"  continued  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine,  "  I  have  judged  it  to  be  wise,  and  in- 
deed necessary,  for  us  to  part  company  with  you, 
sir,  and  to  take  passage  on  this  brig,  which,  by 
a  most  fortunate  chance,  is  bound  for  Kingston. 
My  niece,  I  know,  will  be  greatly  disappointed 
by  this  course  of  events,  but  we  have  no  choice 
but  to  fall  in  with  them. ' ' 

"  I  don't  like  to  agree  with  you,"  said  the 
captain,  "  but,  bedad,  I  am  bound  to  do  it.  I 
am  disappointed  myself,  sir,  but  iliave  been  dis- 
appointed so  often  that  I  suppose  I  ought  to  be 
used  to  it.  If  I  had  caught  up  with  Blackbeard 
I  should  have  been  all  right,  and  after  I  had 
settled  your  affairs— and  I  know  I  could  have 
done  that— I  think  I  would  have  joined  him. 
But  all  I  can  do  now  is  to  hammer  along  at  the 
business,  take  prizes  in  the  usual  way,  and  wait 
for  Blackbeard  to  come  south  again,  and  then 
I'll  either  sell  out  or  join  him." 

"  It  is  a  great  pity,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Delaplaine, 
"  a  great  pity " 

"  Yes,  it  is,"  interrupted  Ichabod,  "it's  a 
very  great  pity,  sir,  a  very  great  pity.  If  I  had 
known  more  about  ships  when  I  bought  the  Rest- 
less I  would  have  had  a  faster  craft,  and  by  this 
time  I  might  have  been  a  man  of  comfortable 
means.    But  that  sloop  over  there,  bedad,  is  so 

347 


KATE   BONNET 

slow,  that  many  a  time,  sir,  I  have  seen  a  fat 
merchantman  sail  away  from  her  and  leave  us, 
in  spite  of  our  guns,  cursing  and  swearing,  miles 
behind.  I  am  sorry  to  have  you  leave  me,  sir, 
and  with  your  ladies;  but,  as  you  say,  here's 
your  chance  to  get  home,  and  I  don't  know  when 
I  could  give  you  another." 

Mr.  Delaplaine  replied  courteously  and  grate- 
fully, and  by  the  next  boat  he  went  back  to  the 
Kestless.  Captain  Ichabod,  his  brow  still  cloud- 
ed by  the  approaching  separation,  walked  over 
to  Lucilla  and  continued  his  conversation  with 
her  about  the  island  of  Barbadoes,  a  subject  of 
which  he  knew  very  little  and  she  nothing. 

When  Kate  returned  to  the  deck  she  found 
Dickory  alone,  Dame  Charter  having  gone  to 
talk  to  the  cook  about  the  wonderful  things  which 
had  happened,  of  which  she  knew  very  little  and 
he  nothing  at  all. 

"  Dickory,"  said  Kate,  "  I  want  to  talk  to 
you,  and  that  quickly.  I  have  heard  nothing  of 
what  has  happened  to  you.  How  did  you  get 
possession  of  the  letter  you  brought  me,  and 
what  do  you  know  of  Captain  Vince?  " 

"  I  can  tell  you  nothing,"  he  said,  without 
looking  at  her,  ' '  until  you  tell  me  what  I  ought 
to  know  about  Captain  Vince. ' '  And  as  he  said 
this  he  could  not  help  wondering  in  his  heart 
that  there  were  no  signs  of  grief  about  her. 

"  Ought  to  know?  "  she  repeated,  regarding 
him  earnestly.    "  Well,  you  and  I  have  been  al- 

3-iS 


THE  DELIVERY  OF  THE  LETTER 

ways  good  friends,  and  I  will  tell  you."  And 
then  she  told  him  the  story  of  the  captain  of  the 
Badger ;  of  his  love-making  and  of  his  commis- 
sion to  sail  upon  the  sea  and  destroy  the  pirate 
ship  Revenge,  and  all  on  board  of  her. 

' '  And  now, ' '  she  said,  as  she  concluded,  ' '  I 
think  it  would  be  well  for  you  to  read  this  let- 
ter." And  she  handed  him  the  missive  he  had 
carried  so  long  and  with  such  pain.  He  read 
the  bold,  uneven  lines,  and  then  he  turned  and 
looked  upon  her,  his  face  shining  like  the  morn- 
ing sky. 

i '  Then  you  have  never  loved  him !  ' '  he 
gasped. 

"  Why  should  It  "  said  Kate. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  there  were  a  great 
many  people  on  board  that  pirate  sloop  who 
might  see  him;  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  there 
were  people  in  boats  plying  upon  the  water  who 
might  notice  his  actions,  Dickory  fell  upon  his 
knees  before  Kate,  and,  seizing  her  hand,  he 
pressed  it  to  his  lips. 

"  Why  should  It  "  said  Kate,  quietly  draw- 
ing her  hand  from  him,  "  for  I  have  a  devoted 
lover  already— Master  Martin  Newcombe,  of 
Barbadoes." 

Dickory,  repulsed,  rose  to  his  feet,  but  his 
face  did  not  lose  its  glow.  He  had  heard  so  much 
about  Martin  Newcombe  that  he  had  ceased  to 
mind  him. 

"  To  think  of  it!  "  he  cried,  "  to  think  how 

349 


KATE   BONNET 

I  stood  and  watched  him  fight;  how  I  admired 
and  marvelled  at  his  wonderful  strength  and 
skill,  his  fine  figure,  and  his  flashing  eye !  How 
my  soul  went  out  to  him,  how  I  longed  that  he 
might  kill  that  scoundrel  Blackbeard!  And  all 
the  time  he  was  your  enemy,  he  was  my  enemy, 
he  was  a  viler  wretch  than  even  the  bloody  pirate 
who  killed  him.  Oh,  Kate,  Kate!  if  I  had  but 
known." 

"  Miss  Kate,  if  you  please,"  said  the  girl. 
"  And  it  is  well,  Dickory,  you  did  not  know,  for 
then  you  might  have  jumped  upon  him  and  stuck 
him  in  the  back,  and  that  would  have  been  dis- 
honourable. ' ' 

' '  He  thought, ' '  said  Dickory,  not  in  the  least 
abashed  by  his  reproof,  "  that  the  Revenge  was 
commanded  by  your  father,  for  he  sprang  upon 
the  deck,  shouting  for  the  captain,  and  when  he 
saw  Blackbeard  I  heard  him  exclaim  in  surprise, 
'  A  sugar-planter !  '  " 

"  And  he  would  have  killed  my  father!  " 
said  Kate,  turning  pale  at  the  thought. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Dickory,  "  he  would  have 
killed  any  man  except  the  great  Blackbeard.  And 
to  think  of  it !  I  stood  there  watching  them,  and 
wishing  that  vile  Englishman  the  victory.  Oh, 
Kate !  you  should  have  seen  that  wonderful  pirate 
fight.  No  man  could  have  stood  before  him." 
Then,  with  sparkling  eyes  and  waving  arms, 
he  told  her  of  the  combat.  When  he  had  fin- 
ished, the  souls  of  these  two  young  people  were 

350 


THE    DELIVERY    OF    THE    LETTER 

united  in  an  overpowering  admiration,  almost 
reverence,  for  the  prowess  and  strength  of  the 
wicked  and  bloody  pirate  who  had  slain  the  cap- 
tain of  the  Badger. 

When  Mr.  Delaplaine  came  on  board,  Kate, 
who  had  been  waiting,  took  him  aside. 

"  Uncle, "  she  exclaimed,  "  I  have  great 
news.  Captain  Vince  is  dead.  At  last  he  came 
up  with  the  Revenge,  but  instead  of  finding  my 
father  in  command  he  found  Blackbeard,  who 
killed  him.    Xow  my  father  is  safe !  ' ' 

The  good  man  scarcely  knew  what  to  say  to 
this  bright-faced  girl,  whose  father's  safety  was 
all  the  world  to  her.  If  he  had  heard  that  his 
worthless  and  wicked  brother-in-law  had  been 
killed,  it  would  have  been  trouble  and  sorrow  for 
the  present,  but  it  would  have  been  peace  for 
the  future.  But  he  was  a  Christian  gentleman 
and  a  loving  uncle,  and  he  banished  this  thought 
from  his  heart.  He  listened  to  Kate  as  she 
rapidly  went  on  talking,  but  he  did  not  hear  her; 
his  mind  was  busy  with  the  news  he  had  to  tell 
her— the  news  that  she  must  give  up  her  loving 
search  and  go  back  with  him  to  Spanish  Town. 

' '  And  now,  uncle, ' '  said  Kate,  ' '  there 's  an- 
other thing  I  want  to  say  to  you.  Since  this  great 
grief  has  been  lifted  from  my  soul,  since  I  know 
that  no  wrathful  and  vindictive  captain  of  a 
man-of-war  is  scouring  the  seas,  armed  with  au- 
thority to  kill  my  father  and  savage  for  his  life, 
I  feel  that  it  is  not  right  for  me  to  put  other 

351 


KATE    BOXXET 

jDeople  who  are  so  good  to  me  to  sad  discomfort 
and  great  expense  to  try  to  follow  my  father 
into  regions  far  away,  and  to  us  almost  un- 
known. 

' '  Some  day  he  will  come  back  into  this  part 
of  the  world,  and  I  hope  he  may  return  dis- 
heartened and  weary  of  his  present  mode  of  life, 
and  then  I  may  have  a  better  chance  of  winning 
him  back  to  the  domestic  life  he  used  to  love 
so  much.  But  he  is  safe,  uncle,  and  that  is  every- 
thing now,  and  so  I  came  to  say  to  you  that  I 
think  it  would  be  well  for  us  to  relieve  this  kind 
Captain  Ichabod  from  the  charges  and  labours 
he  has  taken  upon  himself  for  our  sakes  and, 
if  it  be  possible,  engage  that  ship  yonder  to  take 
us  back  to  Jamaica  ;  she  was  sailing  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  her  captain  might  be  induced  to  touch 
at  Kingston.  This  is  what  I  have  been  thinking 
about,  dear  uncle,  and  do  you  not  agree  with 
me?  " 

High  rose  the  spirits  of  the  good  Mr.  Dela- 
plaine ;  banished  was  all  the  overhanging  black- 
ness of  his  dreaded  interview  with  Kate.  The 
sky  was  bright,  her  soul  was  singing  songs  of 
joy  and  thankfulness,  and  his  soul  might  join 
her.  He  never  appreciated  better  than  now  the 
blessings  which  might  be  shed  upon  humanity 
by  the  death  of  a  bad  man.  His  mind  even 
gambolled  a  little  in  his  relief. 

"  But,  Kate,"  he  said,  "if  we  leave  that 
kind  Captain  Ichabod,  and  he  be  not  restrained 

352 


THE    DELIVERY    OF    THE    LETTER 

by  our  presence,  then,  my  dear,  he  will  return  to 
his  former  evil  ways,  and  his  next  captures  will 
not  be  like  this  one,  but  like  ordinary  piracies, 
sinful  in  every  way. ' ' 

"  Uncle,"  said  Kate,  looking  up  into  his 
face,  "  it  is  too  much  to  ask  of  one  young  girl 
to  undertake  the  responsibilities  of  two  pirates ; 
I  hope  some  day  to  be  of  benefit  to  my  poor 
father,  but  when  it  comes  to  Captain  Ichabod, 
kind  as  he  has  been,  I  am  afraid  I  will  have  to 
let  him  go  and  manage  the  affairs  of  his  soul 
for  himself. ' ' 

Her  uncle  smiled  upon  her.  Xow  that  he  was 
to  go  back  to  his  home  and  take  this  dear  girl 
with  him,  he  was  ready  to  smile  at  almost  any- 
thing. That  he  thought  one  pirate  much  better 
worth  saving  than  the  other,  and  that  his  choice 
did  not  agree  with  that  of  his  niece,  was  not 
for  him  even  to  think  about  at  such  a  happy 
moment.  It  was  not  long  after  this  conversation 
that  the  largest  boat  belonging  to  the  Restless 
was  rowed  over  to  the  brig,  and  in  it  sat,  not  only 
Kate,  Dame  Charter,  and  Dickory,  but  Captain 
Ichabod,  who  would  accompany  his  guests  to 
take  proper  leave  of  them.  The  crew  of  the  pi- 
rate sloop  crowded  themselves  along  her  sides, 
and  even  mounted  into  her  shrouds,  waving  their 
hats  and  shouting  as  the  boat  moved  away.  The 
cook  was  the  loudest  shouter,  and  his  ragged  hat 
waved  highest.  And,  as  Dame  Charter  shook 
her  handkerchief  above  her  head  and  gazed  back 

353 


KATE    BONNET 

at  her  savage  friend,  there  was  a  moisture  in 
her  eyes.  Up  to  this  moment  she  never  would 
have  believed  that  she  would  have  grieved  to 
depart  from  a  pirate  vessel  and  to  leave  behind 
a  pirate  cook. 

Lucilla  watched  carefully  the  newcomers  as 
they  ascended  to  the  deck  of  the  Black  Swan. 
' '  That  is  the  girl, ' '  she  said  to  herself,  ' '  and  I 
am  not  surprised.'' 

A  little  later  she  remarked  to  Captain  Icha- 
bod,  who  sat  by  her:  "  Are  they  mother  and 
daughter,  those  two?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  he.  "  Mistress  Bonnet  is  too 
fine  a  lady  and  too  beautiful  to  be  daughter  to 
that  old  woman,  who  is  her  attendant  and  the 
mother  of  the  young  fellow  in  the  cocked  hat." 

' '  Too  fine  and  beautiful !  ' '  repeated  Lucilla. 

"  I  greatly  grieve  to  leave  you  all,"  contin- 
ued the  young  pirate  captain,  "  although  some 
of  you  I  have  known  so  short  a  time.  It  will 
be  very  lonely  when  I  sail  away  with  none  to 
speak  to  save  the  bloody  dogs  I  command,  who 
may  yet  throttle  me.  And  it  is  to  Barbadoes 
you  go  to  settle  with  your  family  ?  ' ' 

"  That  is  our  destination,"  said  Lucilla, 
' '  but  I  know  not  if  we  shall  find  the  money  to 
settle  there;  we  were  taken  by  pirates  and  lost 
everything. ' ' 

Now  the  captain  of  the  brig  came  up  to  Icha- 
bod  and  informed  him  that  the  goods  he  de- 
manded had  been  delivered  on  board  his  vessel, 

354 


THE    DELIVERY    OF    THE    LETTER 

and  that  the  brig  was  ready  to  sail.  It  was  the 
time  for  leave-taking,  bat  Ichabod  was  tardy. 
Presently  he  approached  Kate,  and  drew  her  to 
one  side. 

' i  Dear  lady, ' '  he  said,  and  his  voice  was  hesi- 
tating, while  a  slight  flush  of  embarrassment 
appeared  on  his  face,  "  you  may  have  thought, 
dear  lady, ' '  he  repeated, ' '  you  may  have  thought 
that  so  fair  a  being  as  yourself  should  have  at- 
tracted during  the  days  we  have  sailed  together 
—may  have  attracted,  bedad,  I  mean— the  de- 
clared admiration  even  of  a  fellow  like  myself, 
we  being  so  much  together ;  but  I  had  heard  your 
story,  fair  lady,  and  of  the  courtship  paid  you 
by  Captain  Vince  of  the  corvette  Badger— whose 
family  I  knew  in  England— and,  acknowledg- 
ing his  superior  claims,  I  constantly  refrained, 
though  not  without  great  effort  (I  must  say  that 
much  for  myself,  fair  lady),  from — from " 

' '  Addressing  me,  I  suppose  you  mean, ' '  said 
Kate.  "  What  you  say,  kind  captain,  redounds 
to  your  honour,  and  I  thank  you  for  your  noble 
consideration,  but  I  feel  bound  to  tell  you  that 
there  was  never  anything  between  me  and  Cap- 
tain Vince,  and  he  is  now  dead." 

The  young  pirate  stepped  back  suddenly  and 
opened  wide  his  eyes.  ' '  What !  "he  exclaimed, 
' '  and  all  the  time  you  were ' ' 

"  Not  free,"  she  interrupted  with  a  smile, 
"  for  I  have  a  lover  on  the  island  of  Barba- 
does. ' ' 

355 


KATE   BONNET 

"  Barbadoes, ' '  repeated  Captain  Ichabod, 
and  he  bade  Kate  a  most  courteous  farewell. 

All  the  good-byes  had  been  said  and  good 
wishes  had  been  wished,  when,  just  as  he  was 
about  to  descend  to  his  boat,  Captain  Ichabod 
turned  to  Lucilla.  "  And  it  is  truly  to  Barba- 
does you  go  1  ' '  he  asked. 

1 '  Yes, ' '  said  she, i '  I  think  we  shall  certainly 
do  that." 

Now  his  face  flushed.  "  And  do  you  care 
for  that  fellow  in  the  cocked  hat?  " 

Here  was  a  cruel  situation  for  poor  Lucilla. 
She  must  lie  or  lose  two  men.  She  might  lose 
them  anyway,  but  she  would  not  do  it  of  her 
own  free  will,  and  so  she  lied. 

' '  Not  a  whit !  ' '  said  Lucilla. 

The  eyes  of  Ichabod  brightened  as  he  went 
down  the  side  of  the  brig. 


356 


CHAPTER   XXXIII 

BLACKBEARD  GIVES  GREENWAY  SOME  DIFFICULT 

WORK 


HE  great  pirate  Blaekbeard,  in- 
active and  taking  his  ease,  was 
seated  on  the  quarter-deck  of 
his  fine  vessel,  on  which  he  had  lately  done  some 
sharp  work  off  the  harbour  of  Charles  Town. 
He  was  now  commanding  a  small  fleet.  Besides 
the  ship  on  which  he  sailed,  he  had  two  other 
vessels,  well  manned  and  well  laden  with  sup- 
plies from  his  recent  captures.  Satisfied  with 
conquest,  he  was  sailing  northward  to  one  of  his 
favourite  resorts  on  the  North  Carolina  coast. 

To  this  conquering  hero  now  came  Ben 
Greenway,  the  Scotchman,  touching  his  hat. 

"  And  what  do  you  want?  "  cried  the  burly 
pirate.  "  Haven't  they  given  you  your  prize- 
money  yet,  or  isn't  it  enough?  " 

11  Prize-money!  "  exclaimed  Greenway.  "  I 
hae  none  o'  it,  nor  will  I  hae  any.  What  money 
I  hae— an'  it  is  but  little— came  to  me  fairly." 

"  Oho!  "  cried  Blaekbeard,  "  and  you  have 

357 


KATE    BONNET 

money  then,  have  you !  Is  it  enough  to  make  it 
worth  my  while  to  take  it  %  " 

' '  Ye  can  count  it  an '  see,  whenever  ye  like, ' ' 
said  Ben,  "  But  it  isna  money  that  I  came  to 
talk  to  ye  about.  I  came  to  ask  ye,  at  the  first 
convenient  season,  to  put  me  on  board  that  ship 
out  there,  that  I  may  be  in  my  rightful  place 
by  the  side  o'  Master  Bonnet." 

"  And  what  good  are  you  to  him,  or  he  to 
you,"  asked  the  pirate,  with  a  fine  long  oath, 
"  that  I  should  put  myself  to  that  much  trou- 
ble? " 

' '  I  have  the  responsibeelity  o '  his  soul  on  my 
hands,"  said  Ben,  "an'  since  we  left  Charles 
Town  I  hae  not  seen  him,  he  bein'  on  ane  ship 
an '  I  on  anither. ' ' 

"  And  very  well  that  is  too,"  said  Black- 
beard,  "  for  I  like  each  of  you  better  separate. 
And  now  look  ye,  me  kirk  bird,  you  have  not 
done  very  well  with  your  '  responsibeelities  '  so 
far,  and  you  might  as  well  make  up  your  mind 
to  stop  trying  to  convert  that  sneak  of  a  Night- 
cap and  take  up  the  business  of  converting  me. 
I'm  in  great  need  of  it,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  You!  "  cried  Ben. 

"  I  tell  you,  yes,"  shouted  Blackbeard,  "  it 
is  I,  myself,  that  I  am  talking  about.  I  want 
to  be  converted  from  the  evil  of  my  ways,  and 
I  have  made  up  my  mind  that  you  shall  do  it. 
You  are  a  good  and  a  nious  man,  and  it  is  not 
often  that  I  get  hold  of  one  of  that  kind ;  or,  if 

358 


DIFFICULT    WORK   FOR   GREENWAY 

I  do,  I  slice  off  his  head  before  I  discover  his 
quality. ' ' 

"  I  fear  me,"  said  the  truthful  Scotchman, 
"  that  the  job  is  beyond  my  abeelity." 

1 '  Not  a  bit  of  it,  not  a  bit  of  it, ' '  shouted  the 
pirate.  "  I  am  fifty  times  easier  to  work  upon 
than  that  Nightcap  man  of  yours,  and  a  hundred 
times  better  worth  the  trouble.  I  put  no  trust 
in  that  downfaced  farmer.  When  he  shouts 
loudest  for  the  black  flag  he  is  most  likely  to  go 
into  priestly  orders,  and  the  better  is  he  reformed 
the  quicker  is  he  to  rob  and  murder.  He  is  of 
the  kind  the  devil  wants,  but  it  is  of  no  use  for 
any  one  to  show  him  the  way  there,  he  is  well 
able  to  find  it  for  himself.  But  it  is  different 
with  me,  you  canny  Scotchman,  it  is  different 
with  me.  I  am  an  open-handed  and  an  open- 
mouthed  scoundrel,  and  I  never  pretended  to  be 
anything  else.  When  you  begin  reforming  me 
you  will  find  your  work  half  done." 

The  Scotchman  shook  his  head.  "  I  fear 
me—"  he  said. 

1 '  No,  you  don 't  fear  yourself, ' '  cried  Black- 
beard,  "  and  I  won't  have  it;  I  don't  want  any 
of  that  lazy  piety  on  board  my  vessel.  If  you 
don't  reform  me,  and  do  it  rightly,  I'll  slice  off 
both  your  ears. ' ' 

At  this  moment  a  man  came  aft,  carrying  a 
great  tankard  of  mixed  drink.  Blackbeard  took 
it  and  held  it  in  his  hand. 

"  Now  then,  you  balking  chaplain,"  he  cried. 


KATE   BONNET 

' '  here 's  a  chance  for  you  to  begin.  What  would 
you  have  rue  do !  Drain  off  this  great  mug  and 
go  slashing  among  my  crew,  or  hurl  it,  mug  and 
all " 

"  Nay,  nay,"  cried  Greenway,  "  but  rather 
give  half  o'  it  to  me;  then  will  it  no'  disturb 
your  brain,  an'  mine  will  be  comforted." 

"  Heigho !  "  cried  Blackbeard.  "  Truly  you 
are  a  better  chaplain  than  I  thought  you.  Drain 
half  this  mug  and  then,  by  all  the  powers  of 
heaven  and  hell,  you  shall  convert  me.  Now, 
look  ye,"  said  the  pirate,  when  the  mug  was 
empty,  "  and  hear  what  a  brave  repentance  I 
have  already  begun.  I  am  tired,  my  gay  gar- 
dener, of  all  these  piracies ;  I  have  had  enough 
of  them.  Even  now,  my  spoils  and  prizes  are 
greater  than  I  can  manage,  and  why  should  I 
strive  to  make  them  more?  I  told  you  of  my 
young  lieutenant,  who  ran  away  and  who  gave 
his  carcass  to  the  birds  of  prey  rather  than  sail 
with  me  and  marry  my  strapping  daughter.  I 
liked  that  fellow,  Greenway,  and  if  he  had  known 
what  was  well  for  him  there  might  be  some  rea- 
son for  me  to  keep  on  piling  up  goods  and  money, 
but  there's  cursed  little  reason  for  it  now.  I 
have  merchandise  of  value  at  Belize  and  much 
more  of  it  in  these  ships,  besides  money  from 
Charles  Town  which  ought  to  last  an  honest  gen- 
tleman for  the  rest  of  his  days. ' ' 

' '  Ay, ' '  said  Ben,  ' '  but  an  honest  gentleman 
is  sparing  of  his  expenditures. ' ' 

360 


DIFFICULT    WORK   FOR    GREEXWAY 

' '  And  you  think  I  am  not  that  kind  of  a  man, 
do  you !  ' '  shouted  the  pirate.  k  %  But  let  me  tell 
you  this.  I  am  sailing  now  for  Topsail  Inlet, 
on  the  North  Carolina  coast,  and  I  am  going  to 
run  in  there,  disperse  this  fleet,  sell  my  goods, 
and " 

"  Be  hanged?  "  interpolated  Greenway  in 
surprise. 

"  Xot  a  bit  of  it,  you  croaking  crow!  "  roared 
the  pirate.  "  Xot  a  bit  of  it.  Don't  you  know, 
you  dull-head,  that  our  good  King  George  has 
issued  a  proclamation  to  the  Brethren  of  the 
Coast  to  come  in  and  behave  themselves  like 
honest  citizens  and  receive  their  pardon  ?  I  have 
done  that  once,  and  so  I  know  all  about  it;  but 
I  backslid,  showing  that  my  conversion  was  badly 
done. ' ' 

11  It  must  hae  been  a  poor  hand  that  did  the 
job  for  ye,"  said  Greenway,  "  for  truly  the  con- 
version washed  off  in  the  first  rain. ' ' 

The  pirate  laughed  a  great  laugh.  "  The 
fact  is,"  he  said,  "  I  did  the  work  myself,  and 
knowing  nothing  about  it  made  a  bad  botch  of 
it,  but  this  time  it  will  be  different.  I  am  going 
to  give  the  matter  into  your  hands,  and  I  shall 
expect  you  to  do  it  well.  If  I  become  not  an 
honest  gentleman  this  time  you  shall  pay  for  it. 
first  with  your  ears  and  then  with  your  head." 

"  An'  ye 're  goin'  to  keep  me  by  ye?  "  said 
Greenway,  with  an  expression  not  of  the  best. 

"Truly  so,"  said  Blackbeard.  "I  shall 
24  3fi1 


KATE   BONNET 

make  you  my  clerk  as  long  as  I  am  a  pirate, 
for  I  have  much  writing  and  figuring  work  to 
be  done,  and  after  that  you  shall  be  my  chaplain. 
And  whether  or  not  your  work  will  be  easier 
than  it  is  now,  it  is  not  for  me  to  say. ' ' 

The  Scotchman  was  about  to  make  an  ex- 
clamation which  might  not  have  been  compli- 
mentary, but  he  restrained  himself. 

"  An' Master  Bonnet!  "  he  asked.  "  If  ye  go 
out  o'  piracy  he  may  go  too,  and  take  the  oath." 

' '  Of  course  he  may, ' '  cried  the  pirate,  ' '  and 
of  course  he  shall;  I  will  see  to  that  myself. 
Then  I  will  give  him  back  his  ship,  for  I  don't 
want  it,  and  let  him  become  an  honest  mer- 
chant. ' ' 

t '  Give  him  back  his  ship !  ' '  exclaimed  Green- 
way,  his  countenance  downcast.  i '  That  will  be 
puttin'  into  his  hands  the  means  o'  beginnm' 
again  a  life  o'  sin.    I  pray  ye,  don't  do  that." 

Blackbeard  leaned  back  and  laughed.  "  I 
swear  that  I  thought  it  would  be  one  of  the  very 
first  steps  in  conversion  for  me  to  give  back  to  the 
fellow  the  ship  which  is  his  own  and  which  I 
have  taken  from  him.  But  fear  not,  my  noble 
pirate's  clerk;  he  is  not  the  man  that  I  am;  he 
is  a  vile  coward,  and  when  he  has  taken  the 
oath  he  will  be  afraid  to  break  it.  More- 
over  ' ' 

"  And  if,  with  that  ship,"  said  Greenway, 
his  eyes  beginning  to  sparkle,  "  he  become  an 

honest  merchant " 

362 


DIFFICULT    WORK    FOR    GREEXAVAY 

"  I  don't  trust  him,"  said  Blackbeard;  "  he 
is  a  knave  and  a  sharper,  and  there  is  no  truth 
in  him.  But  when  you  have  settled  up  my  busi- 
ness, my  clerk,  and  have  gotten  me  well  con- 
verted, I  will  send  you  away  with  him,  and  you 
shall  take  up  again  the  responsibility  of  his 
soul." 

The  Scotchman  clapped  his  horny  hands  to- 
gether. "  And  once  I  get  him  back  to  Bridge- 
town, I  will  burn  his  cursed  ship!  " 

"  Heigho!  "  cried  Blackbeard,  "  and  that 
will  be  your  way  of  converting  him  ?  You  know 
your  business,  my  royal  chaplain,  you  know  it 
well."  And  with  that  he  gave  Greenway  a  tre- 
mendous slap  on  the  back  which  would  have 
dashed  to  the  deck  an  ordinary  man,  but  Ben 
Greenway  was  a  Scotchman,  tough  as  a  yew-tree. 


363 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 


CAPTAIN  THOMAS  OF  THE  ROYAL  JAMES 


'HEX  Blackbeard's  little  fleet 
anchored  in  Topsail  Inlet,  Stede 
Bonnet,  who  had  not  been  in- 
formed of  the  intentions  of  the 
pirate,  was  a  good  deal  puzzled.  Since  joining 
Blackboard's  fleet  in  the  vessel  which  came  up 
from  Belize,  Bonnet  had  considered  himself  very 
shabbily  treated,  and  his  reasons  for  that  opin- 
ion were  not  bad.  During  the  engagements  off 
Charles  Town  his  services  had  not  been  re- 
quired and  his  opinion  had  not  been  consulted, 
Blackbeard  having  no  use  for  the  one  and  no 
respect  for  the  other.  The  pirate  captain  had 
taken  a  fancy  to  Ben  Greenway,  while  his  con- 
tempt for  the  Scotchman's  master  increased  day 
by  day;  and  it  was  for  this  reason  that  Green- 
way  had  been  taken  on  board  the  flag-ship,  while 
Bonnet  remained  on  one  of  the  smaller  vessels. 

Bonnet  was  in  a  discontented  and  somewhat 
sulky  mood,  but  when  Blackbeard's  full  plans 
were  made  known  to  him  and  he  found  that  he 
might  again  resume  command  of  his  own  vessel, 

364 


CAPT.  THOMAS  OF  THE  ROYAL  JAMES 

the  Revenge,  if  be  chose  to  do  so,  his  eyes  began 
to  sparkle  once  more. 

Ben  Greenway  soon  resumed  his  former  posi- 
tion with  Bonnet,  for  it  did  not  take  Blackbeard 
very  long  to  settle  up  his  affairs,  and  in  a  very 
short  time  he  became  tired  of  the  work  of  con- 
version ;  or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  of  the  bore 
of  talking  about  it.  Bonnet  was  glad  to  have 
the  Scotchman  back  again,  although  he  never 
ceased  to  declare  his  desire  to  get  rid  of  this 
faithful  friend  and  helper;  for,  when  the  Re- 
venge again  came  into  his  hands,  there  were 
many  things  to  be  done,  and  few  people  to  help 
him  do  it.  ^ 

"  It  will  be  merchandise  an'  fair  trade  this 
time,"  said  Ben,  ''an'  ye '11  find  it  no'  so  easy 
as  your  piracies,  though  safer.  An'  when  ye 're 
off  to  see  the  Governor  an'  hae  got  your  pardon, 
it'll  be  a  happy  day,  Master  Bonnet,  for  ye  an' 
for  your  daughter,  an'  for  your  brother-in-law 
an'  everybody  in  Bridgetown  wha  either  knew 
ye  or  respected  ye." 

"  Xo  more  of  that,"  cried  Bonnet.  "  I  did 
not  say  I  was  going  to  Bridgetown,  or  that  I 
wanted  anybody  there  to  respect  me.  It  is  my 
purpose  to  fit  out  the  Revenge  as  a  privateer 
and  get  a  commission  to  sail  in  her  in  the  war 
between  Spain  and  the  Allies.  This  will  be  much 
more  to  my  taste.  Ben  Greenway,  than  trading 
in  sugar  and  hides." 

Greenway  was  very  grave. 

*  365 


KATE    BOXXET 

1  *  There  is  so  little  difference, ' '  said  he,  i  i  be- 
tween a  privateer  an'  a  pirate  that  it  is  a  great 
strain  on  a  common  mind  to  keep  them  separate ; 
but  a  commission  from  the  king  is  better  than 
a  commission  from  the  de'il,  an'  we'll  hope 
there  won't  be  much  o'  a  war  after  all  is  said 
an'  done." 

There  was  not  much  intercourse  between 
Blackbeard  and  Bonnet  at  Topsail  Inlet,  The 
pirate  was  on  very  good  terms  with  the  author- 
ities at  that  place,  who  for  their  own  sakes  cared 
not  much  to  interfere  with  him,  and  Bonnet  had 
his  own  work  in  hand  and  industriously  engaged 
in  it.  He  went  to  Bath  and  got  his  pardon;  he 
procured  a  clearance  for  St.  Thomas,  where  he 
freely  announced  his  intention  to  take  out  a  com- 
mission as  privateer,  and  he  fitted  out  his  ves- 
sel as  best  he  could.  Of  men  he  had  not  many, 
but  when  he  left  the  inlet  he  sailed  down  to  an 
island  on  the  coast,  where  Blackbeard,  having 
had  too  many  men  on  his  return  from  Charles 
Town,  had  marooned  a  large  number  of  the 
sailors  belonging  to  his  different  crews,  finding 
this  the  easiest  way  of  getting  rid  of  them.  Bon- 
net took  these  men  on  board  with  the  avowed 
intention  of  taking  them  to  St.  Thomas,  and  then 
he  set  sail  upon  the  high  seas  as  free  and  un- 
trammelled as  a  fish-hawk  sweeping  over  the 
surface  of  a  harbour  with  clearance  papers  tied 
to  his  leg. 

Stede  Bonnet  had  changed  very  much  since 

366 


CAPT.  THOMAS  OF  THE  ROYAL  JAMES 

he  last  trod  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Revenge  as 
her  captain.  He  was  not  so  important  to  look 
at,  and  he  put  on  fewer  airs  of  authority,  but 
he  issued  a  great  many  more  commands.  In 
fact,  he  had  learned  much  about  a  sailor 's  life, 
of  navigation  and  the  management  of  a  vessel, 
and  was  far  better  able  to  command  a  ship  than 
he  had  ever  been  before.  He  had  had  a  long 
rest  from  the  position  of  a  pirate  captain,  and 
he  had  not  failed  to  take  advantage  of  the  les- 
sons which  had  been  involuntarily  given  him  by 
the  veteran  scoundrels  who  had  held  him  in  con- 
tempt. He  was  now,  to  a  great  extent,  sailing- 
master  as  well  as  captain  of  the  Revenge;  but 
Ben  Greenway,  who  was  much  given  to  that  sort 
of  thing,  undertook  to  offer  Bonnet  some  advice 
in  regard  to  his  course. 

"  I  am  no  sailor,"  said  he,  "  but  I  ken  a 
chart  when  I  see  it,  an'  it  is  my  opeenion  that 
there  is  no  need  o'  your  sailin'  so  far  to  the 
east  before  ye  turn  about  southward.  There  is 
naething  much  stiekin'  out  from  the  coast  be- 
tween here  an'  St.  Thomas." 

Bonnet  looked  at  the  Scotchman  with  lofty 
contempt. 

' '  Perhaps  you  can  tell  me, ' '  said  he,  ' '  what 
there  is  stiekin'  out  from  the  coast  between  here 
and  Ocracoke  Inlet,  where  you  yourself  told  me 
that  Blackbeard  had  gone  with  the  one  sloop  he 
kept  for  himself?  " 

"  Blackbeard!  "    shouted    the    Scotchman, 

367 


KATE   BONNET 

"an'  what  in  the  de'il  have  ye  got  to  do  wi' 
Blackbeard?  " 

' '  Do  with  that  infernal  dog !  ' '  cried  Bonnet, 
"  I  have  everything  to  do  with  him  before  I  do 
aught  with  anybody  or  anything  besides.  He 
stole  from  me  my  possessions,  he  degraded  me 
from  my  position,  he  made  me  a  laughing-stock 
to  my  men,  and  he  even  made  me  blush  and  bow 
my  head  with  shame  before  my  daughter  and 
my  brother-in-law,  two  people  in  whose  sight  I 
would  have  stood  up  grander  and  bolder  than 
before  any  others  in  the  world.  He  took  away 
from  me  my  sword  and  he  gave  me  instead  a 
wretched  pen ;  he  made  me  nothing  where  I  had 
been  everything.  He  even  ceased  to  consider  me 
any  more  than  if  I  had  been  the  dirty  deck  under 
his  feet,  And  then,  when  he  had  done  with  my 
property  and  could  get  no  more  good  out  of  it, 
he  cast  it  to  me  in  charity  as  a  man  would  toss 
a  penny  to  a  beggar.  Before  I  sail  anywhere 
else,  Ben  Greenway, ' '  continued  Bonnet,  ' '  I  sail 
for  Ocracoke  Inlet,  and  when  I  sight  Black- 
beard  's  miserable  little  sloop  I  shall  pour  broad- 
side after  broadside  into  her  until  I  sink  his 
wretched  craft  with  his  bedizened  carcass  on 
board  of  it." 

"  But  wi'  your  men  stand  by  ye!  "  cried 
Greenway.  ' '  Ye  're  neither  a  pirate  nor  a  vessel 
o '  war  to  enter  into  a  business  like  that. ' ' 

Bonnet  swore  one  of  his  greatest  oaths. 
"  There  is  no  business  nor  war  for  me,  Ben 

368 


CAPT.  THOMAS  OF  THE  ROYAL  JAMES 

Greenway,"  he  cried,  "  until  I  have  taught 
that  insolent  Blackbeard  what  manner  of  man 
I  am. ' ' 

Ben  Greenway  was  very  much  disheartened. 
' '  If  Blackbeard  should  sink  the  Revenge  instead 
of  Master  Bonnet  sinking  him,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, ' '  and  would  be  kind  enough  to  maroon  my 
old  master  an '  me,  it  might  be  the  best  for  every- 
body after  all.  Master  Bonnet  is  vera  humble- 
minded  an'  complacent  when  bad  fortune  comes 
upon  him,  an '  it  is  my  opeenion  that  on  a  desert 
island  I  could  weel  manage  him  for  the  good  o' 
his  soul." 

But  there  were  no  vessels  sunk  on  that  cruise. 
Blackbeard  had  gone,  nobody  knew  where,  and 
after  a  time  Bonnet  gave  up  the  search  for  his 
old  enemy  and  turned  his  bow  southward.  Xow 
Ben  Greenway 's  countenance  gleamed  once 
more. 

"  It'll  be  a  glad  day  at  Spanish  Town  when 
Mistress  Kate  shall  get  my  letter." 

' '  And  what  have  you  been  writing  to  her  1  ' ' 
cried  Bonnet. 

"  I  told  her,"  said  Ben  Greenway,  "  how  at 
last  ye  hae  come  to  your  right  mind,  an'  how 
ye  are  a  true  servant  o'  the  king,  wi'  your  par- 
don in  your  pocket  an'  your  commission  waitin' 
for  ye  at  St.  Thomas,  an'  that,  whatever  else  ye 
may  do  at  sea,  there'll  be  no  more  black  flag 
floatin'  over  your  head,  nor  a  see-saw  plank  wob- 
blin'  under  the  feet  o'  onybody  else.    The  days 

369 


KATE   BONNET 

o'  your  piracies  are  over,  an'  ye 're  an  honest 
rnon  once  more." 

"  You  wrote  her  that!  "  said  Bonnet,  with 
a  frown. 

"  Ay,"  said  Greenway,  "  an'  I  left  it  in  the 
care  o'  a  good  mon,  whose  ship  is  weel  on  its 
way  to  Kingston  by  this  day." 

That  afternoon  Captain  Bonnet  called  all  his 
men  together  and  addressed  them. 

He  made  a  very  good  speech,  a  better  one 
than  that  delivered  when  he  first  took  real  com- 
mand of  the  Revenge  after  sailing  out  of  the 
river  at  Bridgetown,  and  it  was  listened  to  with 
respectful  and  earnest  interest.  In  brief  man- 
ner he  explained  to  all  on  board  that  he  had 
thrown  to  the  winds  all  idea  of  merchandising 
or  privateering;  that  his  pardon  and  his  ship's 
clearance  were  of  no  value  to  him  except  he 
should  happen  to  get  into  some  uncomfortable 
predicament  with  the  law;  that  he  had  no  idea 
of  sailing  towards  St.  Thomas,  but  intended  to 
proceed  up  the  coast  to  burn  and  steal  and  rob 
and  slay  wherever  he  might  find  it  convenient 
to  do  so;  that  he  had  brought  the  greater  part 
of  his  crew  from  the  desert  island  where  Black- 
beard  had  left  them  because  he  knew  that  they 
were  stout  and  reckless  fellows,  just  the  sort  of 
men  he  wanted  for  the  piratical  cruise  he  was 
about  to  begin ;  and  that,  in  order  to  mislead  any 
government  authorities  who  by  land  or  sea  might 
seek  to  interfere  with  him,  he  had  changed  the 

370 


CAPT.  THOMAS  OF  THE  ROYAL  JAMES 

name  of  the  good  old  Revenge  to  the  Royal 
James,  while  its  captain,  once  Stede  Bonnet,  was 
now  to  be  known  on  board  and  everywhere  else 
as  Captain  Thomas,  with  nothing  against  him. 
He  concluded  by  saying  that  all  that  had  been 
done  on  that  ship  from  the  time  she  first  hoisted 
the  black  flag  until  the  present  moment  was  noth- 
ing at  all  compared  to  the  fire  and  the  blood  and 
the  booty  which  should  follow  in  the  wake  of 
that  gallant  vessel,  the  Royal  James,  command- 
ed by  Captain  Thomas. 

The  men  looked  at  each  other,  but  did  not 
say  much.  They  were  all  pirates,  although  few 
of  them  had  regularly  started  out  on  a  piratical 
career,  and  there  was  nothing  new  to  them  in 
this  sort  of  piratical  dishonour.  In  the  little 
cruise  after  Blackbeard  their  new  captain  had 
shown  himself  to  ne  a  good  man,  ready  with  his 
oaths  and  very  certain  about  what  he  wanted 
done.  So,  whenever  Stede  Bonnet  chose  to  run 
up  the  Jolly  Roger,  he  might  do  it  for  all  they 
cared. 

Poor  Ben  Greenway  sat  apart,  his  head  bowed 
upon  his  hands. 

"  You  seem  to  be  in  a  bad  case,  old  Ben," 
said  Bonnet,  gazing  down  upon  him,  "  but  you 
throw  yourself  into  needless  trouble.  As  soon  as 
I  lay  hold  of  some  craft  which  I  am  willing  shall 
go  away  with  a  sound  hull,  I  will  put  you  on 
board  of  her  and  let  you  go  back  to  the  farm. 
I  will  keep  you  no  longer  among  these  wicked 

371 


KATE   BONNET 

people,    Ben    Greenway,    and    in    this    wicked 
place. ' ' 

Ben  shook  his  head.  "  I  started  wi'  ye  an' 
I  stay  wi'  ye, ' '  said  he, i i  an'  I'll  follow  ye  to  the 
vera  gates  o'  hell,  but  farther  than  that,  Master 
Bonnet,  I  willna  go;  at  the  gates  o'  hell  I 
leave  ye!  " 


372 


CHAPTER   XXXV 

A  CHAPTER  OF   HAPPENINGS 


OR  happiness  with  a  flaw  in  it, 
it  was  a  very  fair  happiness 
which  now  hung  over  the  Dela- 
plaine  home  near  Spanish  Town.  Kate  Bonnet's 
father  was  still  a  pirate,  but  there  was  no  Cap- 
tain Vince  in  hot  pursuit  of  him,  seeking  his 
blood.  Kate  could  sing  with  the  birds  and  laugh 
with  Dickory  whenever  she  thought  of  the  death 
of  the  wicked  enemy.  This  was  not,  it  may  be 
thought,  a  proper  joy  for  a  young  maiden's 
heart,  but  it  came  to  Kate  whether  she  would 
or  not;  the  change  was  so  great  from  the  fear 
which  had  possessed  her  before. 

The  old  home  life  began  again,  although  it 
was  a  very  quiet  life.  Dickory  went  into  Mr. 
Delaplaine's  counting-house,  but  it  was  hard  for 
the  young  man  to  doff  the  naval  uniform  which 
had  been  bestowed  upon  him  by  Blackbeard,  for 
he  knew  he  looked  very  well  in  it,  and  everybody 
else  thought  so  and  told  him  so ;  but  it  could  not 
be  helped,  and  with  all  convenient  speed  he  dis- 

373 


KATE    BONNET 

carded  his  cocked  liat  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  and 
clothed  himself  in  the  simple  garb  of  a  mer- 
chant's clerk,  although  it  might  be  said,  that  in 
all  the  West  Indies,  at  that  day,  there  was  no 
clerk  so  good-looking  as  was  Dickory.  Dame 
Charter  was  so  thankful  that  her  boy  had  come 
safely  through  all  his  troubles,  so  proud  of  him, 
and  so  eminently  well  satisfied  with  his  present 
position,  that  she  asked  nothing  of  her  particular 
guardian  angel  but  that  Stede  Bonnet  might 
stay  away.  If,  after  tiring  of  piracy,  that  man 
came  back,  as  his  relatives  wished  him  to  do, 
the  good  dame  was  sure  he  would  make  mischief 
of  some  sort,  and  as  like  as  not  in  the  direction 
of  her  Dickory.  If  this  evil  family  genius 
should  be  lost  at  sea  or  should  disappear  from 
the  world  in  some  equally  painless  and  undis- 
graceful  fashion,  Dame  Charter  was  sure  that 
she  could  in  a  reasonable  time  quiet  the  grief 
of  poor  Kate;  for  what  right-minded  damsel 
could  fail  to  mingle  thankfulness  with  her  sor- 
row that  a  kind  death  should  relieve  a  parent 
from  the  sins  and  disgraces  which  in  life  always 
seemed  to  open  up  in  front  of  him. 

About  this  time  there  came  a  letter  from  Bar- 
badoes,  which  was  of  great  interest  to  everybody 
in  the  household.  It  was  from  Master  Martin 
Newcombe,  and  of  course  was  written  to  Kate, 
but  she  read  many  portions  of  it  to  the  others. 
The  first  part  of  the  epistle  was  not  read  aloud, 
but  it  was  very  pleasant  for  Kate  to  read  it  to 

371 


A   CHAPTER   OF   HAPPENINGS 

herself.  This  man  was  a  close  lover  and  an  ar- 
dent one.  Whatever  had  happened  to  her  for- 
tunes, nothing  had  interfered  with  his  affection ; 
whatever  he  had  said  he  still  bravely  stood  by, 
and  to  whatever  she  had  objected  in  the  way  of 
obstacles  he  had  paid  no  attention  whatever. 

In  the  parts  of  the  letter  read  to  her  uncle 
and  the  others,  Master  Newcombe  told  how,  not 
having  heard  from  them  for  so  long,  he  had 
been  beginning  to  be  greatly  troubled,  but  the 
arrival  of  the  Black  Swan,  which,  after  touching 
at  Kingston,  had  continued  her  course  to  Bar- 
badoes,  had  given  him  new  life  and  hope;  and 
it  was  his  intention,  as  soon  as  he  could  arrange 
his  affairs,  to  come  to  Jamaica,  and  there  say  by 
word  of  mouth  and  do,  in  his  own  person,  so 
much  for  which  a  letter  was  totally  inadequate. 
The  thought  of  seeing  Kate  again  made  him 
tremble  as  he  walked  through  his  fields.  This 
was  read  inadvertently,  and  Dickory  frowned. 
Dame  Charter  frowned  too.  She  had  never  sup- 
posed that  Master  Newcombe  would  come  to 
Spanish  Town ;  she  had  always  looked  upon  him 
as  a  very  worthy  young  farmer ;  so  worthy  that 
he  would  not  neglect  his  interest  by  travelling 
about  to  other  islands  than  his  own.  She  did 
not  know  exactly  how  her  son  felt  about  all  this, 
nor  did  she  like  to  ask  him,  but  Dickory  saved 
her  the  trouble. 

1 '  If  that  Newcombe  comes  here, ' '  he  said, ' '  I 
am  going  to  fight  him. ' ' 

375 


KATE   BONNET 

"  What!  "  cried  his  mother.  "  You  would 
not  do  that.  That  would  be  terrible;  it  would 
ruin  everything. ' ' 

' '  Ruin  what !  ' '  he  asked. 

His  mother  answered  diplomatically.  "  It 
would  ruin  all  your  fine  opportunities  in  this 
family. ' ' 

Dickory  smiled  with  a  certain  sarcastic  hard- 
ness. "  I  don't  mean,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am 
going  to  hack  at  him  with  a  sword,  because 
neither  he  nor  I  properly  know  how  to  use 
swords,  and  after  the  wonderful  practice  that  I 
have  seen,  I  would  not  want  to  prove  myself  a 
bungler  even  if  the  other  man  were  a  worse  one. 
No,  mother,  I  mean  to  fight  with  him  by  all  fair 
means  to  gain  the  hand  of  my  dear  Kate.  I  love 
her,  and  I  am  far  more  worthy  of  her  than  he  is. 
He  is  not  a  well-disposed  man,  being  rough  and 
inconsiderate  in  his  speech. ' '  Dickory  had  never 
forgiven  the  interview  by  the  river  bank  when 
he  had  gone  to  see  Madam  Bonnet.  "  And  as 
to  his  being  a  stout  lover,  he  is  none  of  it.  Had 
he  been  that,  he  would  long  ago  have  crossed 
the  little  sea  between  Barbadoes  and  here." 

1 '  Do  you  mean,  you  foolish  boy, ' '  exclaimed 
Dame  Charter,  "  to  say  that  you  presume  to  love 
our  Mistress  Kate?  "  And  her  eyes  glowed 
upon  him  with  all  the  warmth  of  a  mother's 
pride,  for  this  was  the  wish  of  her  heart,  and 
never  absent  from  it. 

"  Ay,  mother,"  said  Dickory,  "  I  shall  fight 

376 


A   CHAPTER    OF   HAPPENINGS 

for  her ;  I  shall  show  her  that  I  am  worthier  than 
he  is  and  that  I  love  her  better.  I  shall  even 
strive  for  her  if  that  mad  pirate  comes  back  and 
tries  to  overset  everything." 

' '  Oh,  do  it  before  that !  ' '  cried  Dame  Char- 
ter, anxiety  in  every  wrinkle.  "  Do  it  before 
that!  " 

Mr.  Delaplaine  was  a  little  troubled  by  the 
promised  visit  from  Barbadoes.  He  had  heard 
of  Master  Newcombe  as  being  a  most  estimable 
young  man,  but  the  fault  about  him,  in  his  opin- 
ion, was  that  he  resided  not  in  Jamaica.  For 
a  long  time  the  good  merchant  had  lived  his  own 
life,  with  no  one  to  love  him,  and  he  now  had 
with  him  his  sister's  child,  whom  he  had  come 
to  look  upon  as  a  daughter,  and  he  did  not  wish 
to  give  her  up.  It  was  true  that  it  might  be 
possible,  under  favourable  pressure,  to  induce 
young  Newcombe  to  come  to  Jamaica  and  settle 
there,  but  this  was  all  very  vague.  Had  he  had 
his  own  way,  he  would  have  driven  from  Kate 
every  thought  of  love  or  marriage  until  the  time 
when  his  new  clerk,  Dickory  Charter,  had  be- 
come a  young  merchant  of  good  standing,  worthy 
of  such  a  wife.  Then  he  might  have  been  willing 
to  give  Kate  to  Dickory,  and  Dickory  would  have 
given  her  to  him,  and  they  might  have  all  been 
happy.  That  is,  if  that  hare-brained  Bonnet  did 
not  come  home. 

The  Delaplaine  family  did  not  go  much  into 
society  at  that  time,  for  people  had  known  about 
25  377 


KATE   BONNET 

the  pirate  and  his  ship,  the  Revenge,  and  the 
pursuit  upon  which  Captain  Vince  of  the  royal 
corvette  Badger  had  been  sent.  They  had  all 
heard,  too,  of  the  death  of  Captain  Vince,  and 
some  of  them  were  not  quite  certain  whether  he 
had  been  killed  by  the  pirate  Bonnet  or  another 
desperado  equally  dangerous.  Knowing  all  this, 
although  if  they  had  not  known  it  they  would 
scarcely  have  found  it  out  from  the  speech  of 
their  neighbours,  the  Delaplaines  kept  much  to 
themselves.  And  they  were  happy,  and  the  key- 
note of  their  happiness  was  struck  by  Kate, 
whose  thankful  heart  could  never  forget  the 
death  of  Captain  Vince. 

Mr.  Delaplaine  made  his  proper  visit  to 
Spanish  Town,  to  carry  his  thanks  and  to  tell 
the  Governor  how  things  had  happened  to  him; 
and  the  Governor  still  showed  his  interest  in 
Mistress  Kate  Bonnet,  and  expressed  his  regret 
that  she  had  not  come  with  her  uncle,  which  was 
a  very  natural  wish  indeed  for  a  governor  of 
good  taste. 

This  is  a  chapter  of  happenings,  and  the  next 
happening  was  a  letter  from  that  good  man,  Ben 
Greenway,  and  it  told  the  most  wonderful,  splen- 
did, and  glorious  news  that  had  ever  been  told 
under  the  bright  sun  of  the  beautiful  West  In- 
dies. It  told  that  Captain  Stede  Bonnet  was  no 
longer  a  pirate,  and  that  Kate  was  no  longer  a 
pirate's  daughter.  These  happy  people  did  not 
join  hands  and  dance  and  sing  over  the  great 

378 


A   CHAPTER    OF   HAPPENINGS 

news,  but  Kate's  joy  was  so  great  that  she  might 
have  done  all  these  things  without  knowing  it, 
so  thankful  was  she  that  once  again  she  had  a 
father.  This  rapture  so  far  outshone  her  relief 
at  the  news  of  the  death  of  Captain  Vince  that 
she  almost  forgot  that  that  wicked  man  was  safe 
and  dead.  Kate  was  in  such  a  state  of  wild  de- 
light that  she  insisted  that  her  uncle  should  make 
another  visit  to  the  Governor's  house  and  take 
her  with  him,  that  she  herself  might  carry  the 
Governor  the  good  news ;  and  the  Governor  said 
such  heart-warming  things  when  he  heard  it  that 
Kate  kissed  him  in  very  joy.  But  as  Dickory 
was  not  of  the  party,  this  incident  was  not  en- 
tered as  part  of  the  proceedings. 

Now  society,  both  in  Spanish  Town  and 
Kingston,  opened  its  arms  and  insisted  that  the 
fair  star  of  Barbadoes  should  enter  them,  and 
there  were  parties  and  dances  and  dinners,  and 
it  might  have  been  supposed  that  everybody  had 
been  a  father  or  a  mother  to  a  prodigal  son,  so 
genial  and  joyful  were  the  festivities— Kate 
high  above  all  others. 

At  some  of  these  social  functions  Dickory 
Charter  was  present,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether 
he  was  happier  when  he  saw  Kate  surrounded 
by  gay  admirers  or  when  he  was  at  home  im- 
agining what  was  going  on  about  her. 

There  was  but  one  cloud  in  the  midst  of  all 
this  sunshine,  and  that  was  that  Mr.  Delaplaine, 
Dame  Charter,  and  her  son  Dickory  could  not 

379 


KATE   BONNET 

forget  that  it  was  now  in  the  line  of  events  that 
Stede  Bonnet  would  soon  be  with  them,  and 
beyond  that  all  was  chaos. 

And  over  the  seas  sailed  the  good  ship  the 
Royal  James,  Captain  Thomas  in  command. 


380 


CHAPTER    XXXYI 


THE   TIDE    DECIDES 


*r>.*-:<-' 


T  was  now  September,  and  the 
weather  was  beautiful  on  the 

^tgg^teS^  North  Carolina  coast.  Cap- 
tain Thomas  (late  Bonnet)  of  the  Royal  James 
(late  Revenge)  had  always  enjoyed  cool  nights 
and  invigorating  morning  air,  and  therefore  it 
was  that  he  said  to  his  faithful  servitor,  Ben 
Greenway,  when  first  he  stepped  out  upon  the 
deck  as  his  vessel  lay  comfortably  anchored  in 
a  little  cove  in  the  Cape  Fear  River,  that  he  did 
not  remember  ever  having  been  in  a  more  pleas- 
ant harbour.  This  well-tried  pirate  captain— 
Stede  Bonnet,  as  we  shall  call  him,  notwithstand- 
ing his  assumption  of  another  name— was  in  a 
genial  mood  as  he  drank  in  the  morning  air. 

From  his  point  of  view  he  had  a  right  to  be 
genial ;  he  had  a  right  to  be  pleased  with  the 
scenery  and  the  air;  he  had  a  right  to  swear  at 
the  Scotchman,  and  to  ask  him  why  he  did  not 
put  on  a  merrier  visage  on  such  a  sparkling 
morning,  for  since  he  had  first  started  out  as 

381 


KATE    BONNET 

Captain  Thomas  of  the  Royal  James  he  had  been 
a  most  successful  pirate.  He  had  sailed  up  the 
Virginia  coast;  he  had  burned,  he  had  sunk,  he 
had  robbed,  he  had  slain;  he  had  gone  up  the 
Delaware  Bay,  and  the  people  in  ships  and  the 
people  on  the  coasts  trembled  even  when  they 
heard  that  his  black  flag  had  been  sighted. 

No  man  could  now  say  that  the  former  cap- 
tain of  the  Revenge  was  not  an  accomplished  and 
seasoned  desperado.  Even  the  great  Blackbeard 
would  not  have  cared  to  give  him  nicknames, 
nor  dared  to  play  his  blithesome  tricks  upon 
him;  he  was  now  no  more  Captain  Nightcap  to 
any  man.  His  crew  of  hairy  ruffians  had  learned 
to  understand  that  he  knew  what  he  wanted,  and, 
more  than  that,  he  knew  how  to  order  it  done. 
They  listened  to  his  great  oaths  and  they  re- 
spected him.  This  powerful  pirate  now  com- 
manded a  small  fleet,  for  in  the  cove  where  lay 
his  flag-ship  also  lay  two  good-sized  sloops, 
manned  by  their  own  crews,  which  he  had  cap- 
tured in  Delaware  Bay  and  had  brought  down 
with  him  to  this  quiet  spot,  a  few  miles  up  the 
Cape  Fear  River,  where  now  he  was  repairing 
his  own  ship,  which  had  had  a  hard  time  of  it 
since  she  had  again  come  into  his  hands. 

For  many  a  long  day  the  sound  of  the  ham- 
mer and  the  saw  had  mingled  with  the  song  of 
the  birds,  and  Captain  Bonnet  felt  that  in  a  day 
or  two  he  might  again  sail  out  upon  the  sea,  con- 
veying his  two  prizes  to  some  convenient  mart, 

382 


THE    TIDE    DECIDES 

while  he,  with  his  good  ship,  freshened  and  re- 
stored, would  go  in  search  of  more  victories, 
more  booty,  and  more  blood. 

"  Greenway,  I  tell  you,"  said  Bonnet,  con- 
tinuing his  remarks,  "  you  are  too  glum;  you've 
got  the  only  long  face  in  all  this,  my  fleet.  Even 
those  poor*  fellows  who  man  my  prizes  are  not 
so  solemn,  although  they  know  not,  when  I  have 
done  with  them,  whether  I  shall  maroon  them 
to  quietly  starve  or  shall  sink  them  in  their  own 

vessels. ' ' 

"  But  I  hae  no  such  reason  to  be  cheerful," 
said  Ben.  "  I  hae  bound  mysel'  to  stand  by 
ve  till  ye  hae  gone  to  the  de'il,  an'  I  hae  no 
chance  o'  freein'  mysel'  from  my  responsibeeli- 
ties  by  perishin'  on  land  or  in  the  sea." 

"If  anything  could  make  me  glum,  Ben 
Greenway,  it  would  be  you,"  said  the  other; 
"  but  I  am  getting  used  to  you,  and  some  of 
these  days  when  I  have  captured  a  ship  laden 
with  Scotch  liquors  and  Scotch  plaids  I  believe 
that  you  will  turn  pirate  yourself  for  the  sake 
of  your  share  of  the  prizes. ' ' 

"  Which  is  likely  to  be  on  the  same  mornin' 
that  ye  turn  to  be  an  honest  mon,"  said  Ben; 
1 '  but  I  am  no '  in  the  way  o '  expectin '  miracles. 

On  went  the  pounding  and  the  sawing  and 
the  hammering  and  the  swearing  and  the  singing 
of  birds,  although  the  latter  were  a  little  farther 
away  than  they  had  been,  and  in  the  course  of 
the  day  the  pirate  captain,  erect,  scrutinizing, 

383 


KATE    BONNET 

and  blasphemous,  went  over  his  ship,  superin- 
tending the  repairs.  In  a  day  or  two  everything 
would  be  finished,  and  then  he  and  his  two  prizes 
could  up  sail  and  away.  It  was  a  beautiful  har- 
bour in  which  he  lay,  but  he  was  getting  tired 
of  it. 

There  were  great  prospects  before  our  pirate 
captain.  Perhaps  he  might  have  the  grand  good 
fortune  to  fall  in  with  that  low-born  devil,  Black- 
beard,  who,  when  last  he  had  been  heard  from, 
commanded  but.  a  small  vessel,  fearing  no  attack 
upon  this  coast.  What  a  proud  and  glorious  mo- 
ment it  would  be  when  a  broadside  and  another 
and  another  should  be  poured  in  upon  his  little 
craft  from  the  long  guns  of  the  Royal  James. 

Bonnet  was  still  standing,  reflecting,  with 
bright  eyes,  upon  this  dazzling  future,  and  won- 
dering what  would  be  the  best  way  of  letting  the 
dastardly  Blackbeard  know  whose  guns  they 
were  which  had  sunk  his  ship,  when  a  boat  was 
seen  coming  around  the  headland.  This  was  one 
of  his  own  boats,  which  had  been  posted  as  a 
sentinel,  and  which  now  brought  the  news  that 
two  vessels  were  coming  in  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  but  that  as  the  distance  was  great  and  the 
night  was  coming  on  they  could  not  decide  what 
manner  of  craft  they  were. 

This  information  made  everybody  jump,  on 
board  the  Royal  James,  and  the  noise  of  the 
sawing  and  the  hammering  ceased  as  completely 
as  had  the  songs  of  the  birds.    In  a  few  min- 

384 


THE    TIDE    DECIDES 

utes  that  quick  and  able  mariner,  Bonnet,  had 
sent  three  armed  boats  down  the  river  to  recon- 
noitre. If  the  vessels  entering  the  river  were 
merchantmen,  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  get 
away ;  but  if  they  were  enemies,  although  it  was 
difficult  to  understand  how  enemies  could  make 
their  appearance  in  these  quiet  waters,  they  must 
be  attended  to,  either  by  fight  or  flight. 

When  the  three  boats  came  back,  and  it  was 
late  before  they  appeared,  every  man  upon  the 
Royal  James  was  crowded  along  her  side  to  hear 
the  news,  and  even  the  people  on  the  prizes  knew 
that  something  had  happened,  and  stood  upon 
every  point  of  vantage,  hoping  that  in  some  way 
they  could  find  out  what  it  was. 

The  news  brought  by  the  boats  was  to  the 
effect  that  two  vessels,  not  sailing  as  merchant- 
men and  well  armed  and  manned,  were  now 
ashore  on  sand-bars,  not  very  far  above  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  Xow  Bonnet  swore  bravely.  If 
the  work  upon  his  vessels  had  been  finished  he 
would  up  anchor  and  away  and  sail  past  these 
two  grounded  ships,  whatever  they  were  and 
whatever  they  came  for.  He  would  sail  past 
them  and  take  with  him  his  two  prizes ;  he  would 
glide  out  to  sea  with  the  tide,  and  he  would  laugh 
at  them  as  he  left  them  behind.  But  the  Royal 
James  was  not  ready  to  sail. 

The  tide  was  now  low :  five  hours  afterward, 
when  it  should  be  high,  those  two  ships,  what- 
ever they  were,  would  float  again,  and  the  Royal 

385 


KATE    BONNET 

James,  whatever  her  course  of  action  should  be, 
would  be  cut  off  from  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
This  was  a  greater  risk  than  even  a  pirate  as 
bold  as  Bonnet  would  wish  to  run,  and  so  there 
was  no  sleep  that  night  on  the  Royal  James.  The 
blows  of  the  hammers  and  the  sounds  of  the 
saws  made  a  greater  noise  than  they  had  ever 
done  before,  so  that  the  night  birds  were  fright- 
ened and  new  shrieking  away.  Every  man 
worked  with  all  the  energy  that  was  in  him,  for 
each  hairy  rascal  had  reason  to  believe  that  if 
the  vessel  they  were  on  did  not  get  out  of  the 
river  before  the  two  armed  strangers  should  be 
afloat  there  might  be  hard  times  ahead  for  them. 
Even  Ben  Greenway  was  aroused.  "  The  de'il 
shall  not  get  him  any  sooner  than  can  be  helped, ' ' 
he  said  to  himself,  and  he  hammered  and  sawed 
with  the  rest  of  them. 

On  his  stout  and  well-armed  sloop  the  Henry, 
Mr.  William  Rhett,  of  Charles  Town,  South 
Carolina,  paced  anxiously  all  night.  Frequent- 
ly from  the  sand-bar  on  which  his  vessel  was 
grounded  he  called  over  to  his  other  sloop,  also 
fast  grounded,  giving  orders  and  asking  ques- 
tions. On  both  vessels  everybody  was  at  work, 
getting  ready  for  action  when  the  tide  should 

rise. 

Some  weeks  before  the  wails  and  complaints 
of  a  tortured  sea-coast  had  come  down  from  the 
Jersey  shores  to  South  Carolina,  asking  for  help 
at  the  only  place  along  that  coast  whence  help 

386 


THE    TIDE    DECIDES 

could  come.  A  pirate  named  Thomas  was  work- 
ing his  way  southward,  spreading  terror  before 
him  and  leaving  misery  behind.  These  appeals 
touched  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Charles  Town, 
already  sore  from  the  injuries  and  insults  in- 
flicted upon  them  by  Blackbeard  in  those  days 
when  Bonnet  sat  silently  on  the  pirate  ship,  doing 
nothing  and  learning  much. 

There  was  no  hesitancy;  for  their  own  sake 
and  for  the  sake  of  their  commerce,  this  new 
pirate  must  not  come  to  Charles  Town  harbour, 
and  an  expedition  of  two  vessels,  heavily  armed 
and  well  manned. and  commanded  by  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Rhett,  was  sent  northward  up  the  coast  to 
look  for  the  pirate  named  Thomas  and  to  destroy 
him  and  his  ship.  Mr.  Rhett  was  not  a  military 
man,  nor  did  he  belong  to  the  navy.  He  was 
a  citizen  capable  of  commanding  soldiers,  and 
as  such  he  went  forth  to  destroy  the  pirate 
Thomas. 

Mr.  Rhett  met  people  enough  along  the  coast 
who  told  him  where  he  might  find  the  pirate, 
but  he  found  no  one  to  tell  him  how  to  navigate 
the  dangerous  waters  of  the  Cape  Fear  River, 
and  so  it  was  that  soon  after  entering  that  fine 
stream  he  and  his  consort  found  themselves 
aground. 

Mr.  Rhett  was  quite  sure  that  he  had  discov- 
ered the  lair  of  the  big  game  he  was  looking  for. 
Just  before  dark,  three  boats,  well  filled  with 
men,  had  appeared  from  up  the  river,  and  they 

387 


KATE   BONNET 

had  looked  so  formidable  that  everything  had 
been  made  ready  to  resist  an  attack  from  them. 
They  retired,  but  every  now  and  then  during  the 
night,  when  there  was  quiet  for  a  few  minutes, 
there  would  come  down  the  river  on  the  wind 
the  sound  of  distant  hammering  and  the  noise 
of  saws. 

It  was  after  midnight  before  the  Henry  and 
the  Sea  Nymph  floated  free,  but  they  anchored 
where  they  were  and  waited  for  the  morning. 
Whether  they  would  sail  up  the  river  after  the 
pirate  or  whether  he  would  come  down  to  them, 
daylight  would  show. 

Mr.  Rhett's  vessels  had  been  at  anchor  for 
five  hours,  and  every  man  on  board  of  them 
were  watching  and  waiting,  when  daylight  ap- 
peared and  showed  them  a  tall  ship,  under  full 
sail,  rounding  the  distant  headland  up  the  river. 
Now  up  came  their  anchors  and  their  sails  were 
set.    The  pirate  was  coming! 

Whatever  the  Royal  James  intended  to  do, 
Mr.  Rhett  had  but  one  plan,  and  that  was  to  meet 
the  enemy  as  soon  as  possible  and  fight  him.  So 
up  sailed  the  Henry  and  up  sailed  the  Sea 
Nymph,  and  they  pressed  ahead  so  steadily  to 
meet  the  Royal  James  that  the  latter  vessel,  in 
carrying  out  what  was  now  her  obvious  inten- 
tion of  getting  out  to  sea,  was  forced  shoreward, 
where  she  speedily  ran  upon  a  bar.  Then,  from 
the  vessels  of  Charles  Town  there  came  great 
shouts  of  triumph,  which  ceased  when  first  the 

388 


THE    TIDE    DECIDES 

Henry  and  then  the  Sea  Nymph  ran  upon  other 
bars  and  remained  stationary. 

Here  was  an  unusual  condition— three  ships 
of  war  all  aground  and  about  to  begin  a  battle, 
a  battle  which  would  probably  last  for  five  hours 
if  one  or  more  of  the  stationary  vessels  were  not 
destroyed  before  that  time.  It  was  soon  found, 
however,  that  there  would  only  be  two  parties 
to  the  fight,  for  the  Sea  Nymph  was  too  far  away 
to  use  her  guns.  The  Royal  James  had  an  ad- 
vantage over  her  opponents,  since,  when  she 
slightly  careened,  her  decks  were  slanted  away 
from  the  enemy,  while  the  latter 's  were  pre- 
sented to  her  fire. 

At  it  they  went,  hot  and  heavy.  Bonnet  and 
his  men  now  knew  that  they  were  engaged  with 
commissioned  war  vessels,  and  they  fought  for 
their  lives.  Mr.  Rhett  knew  that  he  was  fighting 
Thomas,  the  dreaded  pirate  of  the  coast,  and  he 
felt  that  he  must  destroy  him  before  his  vessel 
should  float  again.  The  cannon  roared,  muskets 
blazed  away,  and  the  combatants  were  near 
enough  even  to  use  pistols  upon  each  other.  Men 
died,  blood  flowed,  and  the  fight  grew  fiercer  and 
fiercer. 

Bonnet  roared  like  an  incarnate  devil;  he 
swore  at  his  men,  he  swore  at  the  enemy,  he 
swore  at  his  bad  fortune,  for  had  he  not  missed 
the  channel  the  game  would  have  been  in  his 
own  hands. 

So  on  they  fought,  and  the  tide  kept  steadily 

389 


KATE   BOXXET 

rising.  The  five  hours  must  pass  at  last,  and 
the  vessel  which  first  floated  would  win  the 
day. 

The  five  hours  did  pass,  and  the  Henry  float- 
ed, and  Bonnet  swore  louder  and  more  fiercely 
than  before.  He  roaied  to  his  men  to  fire  and 
to  fight,  no  matter  whether  they  were  still 
aground  or  not,  and  with  many  oaths  he  vowed 
that  if  any  one  of  them  showed  but  a  sign  of 
weakening  he  would  cut  him  down  upon  the  spot. 
But  the  hairy  scoundrels  who  made  up  the  crew 
of  the  Royal  James  had  no  idea  of  lying  there 
with  their  ship  on  its  side,  while  two  other  ships 
—  for  the  Sea  Nymph  was  now  afloat— should 
sail  around  them,  rake  their  decks,  and  shatter 
them  to  pieces.  So  the  crew  consulted  together, 
despite  their  captain's  roars  and  oaths,  and  many 
of  them  counselled  surrender.  Their  vessel  was 
much  farther  inshore  than  the  two  others,  and 
no  matter  what  happened  afterward  they  pre- 
ferred to  live  longer  than  fifteen  or  twenty  min- 
utes. 

But  Bonnet  quailed  not  before  fate,  before 
the  enemy,  or  before  his  crew;  if  he  heard  an- 
other word  of  surrender  he  would  fire  the  maga- 
zine and  blow  the  ship  to  the  sky  with  every  man 
in  it.  Raising  his  cutlass  in  air,  he  was  about 
to  bring  it  down  upon*  one  of  the  cowards  he 
berated,  when  suddenly  he  was  seized  by  two 
powerful  hands,  which  pinned  his  arms  behind 
him.    TVith  a  scream  of  rage,  he  turned  his  head 

390 


THE    TIDE    DECIDES 

and  found  that  he  was  in  the  grasp  of  Ben 
Greenway. 

"  Let  go  your  sword,  Master  Bonnet,"  said 
Ben;  "  it  is  o'  no  use  to  ye  now,  for  ye  canna 
get  awa'  from  me.  I'm  nae  older  than  ye  are, 
though  I  look  it,  an'  I've  got  the  harder  mus- 
cles. Ye  may  be  makin'  your  way  steadily  an' 
surely  to  the  gates  o '  hell  an '  it  mayna  be  possi- 
ble that  I  can  prevent  ye,  but  I'm  not  goin'  to 
let  ye  tumble  in  by  accident  so  long  as  I've  got 
two  arms  left  to  me. ' ' 

Pale,  haggard,  and  writhing,  Stede  Bonnet 
was  disarmed,  and  die  Jolly  Roger  came  down. 


391 


CHAPTER   XXXVII 


BONNET  AND  GREENWAY  PART  COMPANY 


.p°Tre.e 


T  was  three  days  after  this 
memorable  combat  —  for  the 
vessels  engaged  in  it  needed 
considerable  repairs— when  Mr.  Khett  of  Charles 
Town  sailed  down  the  Cape  Fear  River  with 
his  five  vessels— the  two  with  which  he  had  en- 
tered it,  the  }  (irate  Royal  James,  and  the  two 
prizes  of  the  latter,  which  had  waited  quietly 
up  the  river  to  see  how  matters  were  going  to 
turn  out. 

On  the  Henry  sailed  the  pirate  Thomas,  now 
discovered  to  be  the  notorious  Stede  Bonnet,  and 
a  very  quiet  and  respectful  man  he  was.  As  has 
been  seen  before,  Bonnet  was  a  man  able  to  adapt 
himself  to  circumstances.  There  never  was  a 
more  demure  counting-house  clerk  than  was 
Bonnet  at  Belize;  there  never  was  an  humbler 
dependent  than  the  almost  unnoticed  Bonnet 
after  he  had  joined  Blackbeard's  fleet  before 
Charles   Town,   and   there   never  was   a  more 

392 


BONNET  AND  GREENWAY  SEPARATE 

deferential  and  respectful  prisoner  than  Stede 
Bonnet  on  board  the  Henry.  It  was  really 
touching  to  see  how  this  cursing  and  raging 
pirate  deported  himself  as  a  meek  and  uncoin- 
j3laining  gentleman. 

There  was  no  prison-house  in  Charles  Town, 
but  Stede  Bonnet's  wicked  crew,  including  Ben 
Greenway— for  his  captors  were  not  making  any 
distinctions  in  regard  to  common  men  taken  on 
a  pirate  ship— were  clapped  into  the  watch- 
house— and  a  crowded  and  uncomfortable  place 
it  was— and  put  under  a  heavy  and  military 
guard.  The  authorities  were,  however,  making 
distinctions  where  gentlemen  of  family  and 
owners  of  landed  estates  were  concerned,  no 
matter  if  they  did  happen  to  be  taken  on  a  pirate 
ship,  and  Major  Bonnet  of  Barbadoes  was 
lodged  in  the  provost  marshal's  house,  in  com- 
fortable quarters,  with  only  two  sentinels  out- 
side to  make  him  understand  he  was  a  prisoner. 

The  capture  of  this  celebrated  pirate  created 
a  sensation  in  Charles  Town,  and  many  of  the 
citizens  were  not  slow  to  pay  the  unfortunate 
prisoner  the  attentions  due  to  his  former  posi- 
tion in  society.  He  was  very  well  satisfied  with 
his  treatment  in  Charles  Town,  which  city  he 
had  never  before  had  the  pleasure  of  visiting. 

The  attentions  paid  to  Ben  Greenway  were 
not  pleasing ;  sometimes  he  was  shoved  into  one 
corner  and  sometimes  into  another.  He  fre- 
quently had  enough  to  eat  and  drink,  but  very 
26  393 


KATE   BOXXET 

often  this  was  not  the  case.  Bonnet  never  in- 
quired after  him.  If  he  thought  of  him  at  all, 
he  hoped  that  he  had  been  killed  in  the  fight, 
for  if  that  were  the  case  he  would  be  rid  of  his 
eternal  preachments. 

Greenway  made  known  the  state  of  his  own 
case  whenever  he  had  a  chance  to  do  so,  but  his 
complaints  received  no  attention,  and  he  might 
have  remained  with  the  crew  of  the  Royal  James 
as  long  as  they  were  shut  up  in  the  watch-house 
had  not  some  of  the  hairy  cut-throats  themselves 
taken  pity  upon  him  and  assured  the  guards  that 
this  man  was  not  one  of  them,  and  that  they 
knew  from  what  they  had  heard  him  say  and 
seen  him  do  that  there  was  no  more  determined 
enemy  of  piracy  in  all  the  "Western  continent. 
So  it  happened,  that  after  some  weeks  of  confine- 
ment Greenway  was  let  out  of  the  watch-house 
and  allowed  to  find  quarters  for  himself. 

The  first  day  the  Scotchman  was  free  he  went 
to  the  provost-marshal's  house  and  petitioned  an 
interview  with  his  old  master,  Bonnet. 

1 '  Heigho !  ' '  cried  the  latter,  who  was  com- 
fortably seated  in  a  chair  reading  a  letter.  ' '  And 
where  do  you  come  from,  Ben  Greenway?  I  had 
thought  you  were  dead  and  buried  in  the  Cape 
Fear  River." 

"  Ye  did  not  think  I  was  dead,"  replied  Ben, 
1 i  when  I  seized  ye  an '  held  ye  an '  kept  ye  from 
buryin'  yoursel'  in  that  same  river." 

Bonnet   waved   his   hand.     "  Xo   more   of 

394 


BOXXET  AXD  GREENWAY  SEPARATE 

that,"  said  he;  "  I  was  unfortunate,  but  that  is 
over  now  and  things  have  turned  out  better  than 
any  man  could  have  expected. ' ' 

' '  Better !  ' '  exclaimed  Ben.  ' '  I  vow  I  know 
not  what  that  means." 

Bonnet  laughed.  He  was  looking  very 
well;  he  was  shaved,  and  wore  a  neat  suit  of 
clothes. 

"  Ben  Greenway,"  said  he,  "  you  are  now 
looking  upon  a  man  of  high  distinction.  At  this 
moment  I  am  the  greatest  pirate  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  Yes,  Greenway,  the  greatest  pirate 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  I  have  a  letter  here, 
which  was  received  by  the  provost-marshal  and 
which  he  gave  me  to  read,  which  tells  that  Black- 
beard,  the  first  pirate  of  his  age,  is  dead.  There- 
fore, Ben  Greenway,  I  take  his  place,  and  there 
is  no  living  pirate  greater  than  I  am." 

"  An'  ye  pride  yoursel'  on  that,  an'  at  this 
moment?  "  asked  Ben,  truly  amazed. 

"  That  do  I,"  said  Bonnet.  "  And  think  of 
it,  Ben  Greenway,  that  presumptuous,  overbear- 
ing Blackbeard  was  killed,  and  his  head  brought 
away  sticking  up  on  the  bow  of  a  vessel.  What 
a  rare  sight  that  must  have  been,  Ben !  Think  of 
his  long  beard,  all  tied  up  with  ribbons,  stuck  up 
on  the  bow  of  a  ship !  ' ' 

"  An'  ye  are  now  the  head  de'il  on  earth?  " 
said  Ben. 

1 1  You  can  put  it  that  way,  if  you  like, ' '  said 
Bonnet,  "  but  I  am  not  so  looked  upon  in  this 

395 


KATE   BONNET 

town.  I  am  an  honoured  person.  I  doubt  very, 
much  if  any  prisoner  in  this  country  was  ever 
treated  with  the  distinction  that  is  shown  me, 
but  I  don't  wonder  at  it;  I  have  the  reputation 
of  two  great  pirates  joined  in  one— the  pirate 
Bonnet,  of  the  dreaded  ship  Revenge,  and  the 
terrible  Thomas  of  the  Royal  James.  My  man, 
there  are  people  in  this  town  who  have  been  to 
me  and  who  have  said  that  a  man  so  famous 
should  not  even  be  imprisoned.  I  have  good 
reason  to  believe  that  it  will  not  be  long  before 
pardon  papers  are  made  out  for  me,  and  that  I 
may  go  my  way." 

' '  An '  your  men !  ' '  asked  Greenway.  ' '  Will 
they  go  free  or  will  they  be  hung  like  common 
pirates?  " 

Bonnet  frowned  impatiently.  "  I  don't  want 
to  hear  anything  about  the  men,"  he  said;  "  of 
course  they  will  be  hung.  What  could  be  done 
with  them  if  they  were  not  hung?  But  it  is 
entirely  different  with  me.  I  am  a  most  respect- 
able person,  and,  now  that  I  am  willing  to  resign 
my  piratical  career,  having  won  in  it  all  the  glory 
that  can  come  to  one  man,  that  respectability 
must  be  considered." 

"  Weel,  weel,"  said  the  Scotchman;  "an' 
when  it  comes  that  respectabeelity  is  better  for 
a  man's  soul  an'  body  than  righteousness,  then 
I  am  no  fit  counsellor  for  ye,  Master  Bonnet," 
and  he  took  his  leave. 

The  next  morning,  when  Ben  Greenway  left 

396 


BONNET  AND  GREENWAY  SEPARATE 

his  lodging  he  found  the  town  in  an  uproar.  The 
pirate  Bonnet  had  bribed  his  sentinels  and,  with 
some  others,  had  escaped.  Ben  stood  still  and 
stamped  his  foot.  Such  infamy,  such  perfidy 
to  the  authorities  who  had  treated  him  so  well, 
the  Scotchman  could  not  at  first  imagine,  but 
when  the  truth  became  plain  to  him,  his  face 
glowed,  his  eye  burned ;  this  vile  conduct  of  his 
old  master  was  a  triumph  to  Ben's  principles. 
Wickedness  was  wickedness,  and  could  not  be 
washed  away  by  respectability. 

The  days  passed  on ;  Bonnet  was  recaptured, 
more  securely  imprisoned,  put  upon  trial,  found 
guilty,  and,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  advo- 
cates of  respectability,  was  condemned  to  be 
hung  on  the  same  spot  where  nearly  all  the  mem- 
bers of  his  pirate  crew  had  been  executed. 

During  all  this  time  Ben  Greenway  kept  away 
from  his  old  master ;  he  had  borne  ill-treatment 
of  every  kind,  but  the  deception  practised  upon 
him  when,  at  his  latest  interview,  Bonnet  talked 
to  him  of  his  respectability,  having  already 
planned  an  escape  and  return  to  his  evil  ways, 
was  too  much  for  the  honest  Scotchman.  He  had 
done  with  this  man,  faithless  to  friend  and  foe, 
to  his  own  blood,  and  even  to  his  own  bad  repu- 
tation. 

But  not  quite  done.  It  was  but  half  an  hour 
before  the  time  fixed  for  the  pirate's  execution 
that  Ben  Greenway  opined  access  to  him. 

"  What!  "  cried  Bonnet,   raising  his  head 

397 


KATE   BONNET 

from  his  hands.  "  You  here?  I  thought  I  had 
done  with  you !  ' ' 

"  Ay,  I  am  here,"  said  Ben  Greenway.  "  I 
hae  stood  by  ye  in  good  fortune  an'  in  bad  for- 
tune, an'  I  hae  never  left  ye,  no  matter  what 
happened ;  an '  I  told  ye  I  would  follow  ye  to  the 
gates  o'  hell,  but  I  could  go  no  farther.  I  hae 
kept  my  word  an '  here  I  stop.    Fareweel !  ' ' 

' '  The  only  comfortable  thing  about  this  busi- 
ness," said  Bonnet,  "  is  to  know  that  at  last  I 
am  rid  of  that  fellow !  ' ' 


398 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII 

AGAIN    DICKORY    WAS   THERE 


HERE  were  indeed  gay  times 
in  Spanish  Town,  and  with 
the  two  loads  lifted  from  her 
heart,  Kate  helped  very  much 
to  promote  the  gaiety.  If  this  young  lady  had 
wished  to  make  a  good  colonial  match,  she  had 
opportunities  enough  for  so  doing,  but  she  was 
not  in  that  frame  of  mind,  and  encouraged  no 
suitor. 

But,  bright  as  she  was,  she  was  not  so  bright 
as  on  that  great  and  glorious  day  when  she  re- 
ceived Ben  Greenway's  letter,  telling  her  that 
her  father  was  no  longer  a  pirate.  There  were 
several  reasons  for  this  gradually  growing  twi- 
light of  her  happiness,  and  one  was  that  no  letter 
came  from  her  father.  To  be  sure,  there  were 
many  reasons  why  no  letter  should  come.  There 
were  no  regular  mails  in  these  colonies  which 
could  be  depended  upon,  and,  besides,  the  new 
career  of  her  father,  sailing  as  a  privateer  under 
the  king 's  flag,  would  probably  make  it  very  diffi- 

399 


KATE   BONNET 

cult  for  him  to  send  a  letter  to  Jamaica  by  any 
regular  or  irregular  method.  Moreover,  her 
father  was  a  miserable  correspondent,  and  al- 
ways had  been.  Thus  she  comforted  herself  and 
was  content,  though  not  very  well  content,  to 
wait. 

Then  there  was  another  thing  which  troubled 
her,  when  she  thought  of  it.  That  good  man 
and  steady  lover,  Martin  Newcombe,  had  written 
that  he  was  coming  to  Spanish  Town,  and  she 
knew  very  well  what  he  was  coming  for  and 
what  he  would  say,  but  she  did  not  know  what 
she  would  say  to  him;  and  the  thought  of  this 
troubled  her.  In  a  letter  she  might  put  off  the 
answer  for  which  he  had  been  so  long  and  pa- 
tiently waiting,  but  when  she  met  him  face  to 
face  there  could  be  no  more  delay ;  she  must  tell 
him  yes  or  no,  and  she  was  not  ready  to  do  this. 

There  was  so  much  to  think  of,  so  many  plans 
to  be  considered  in  regard  to  going  back  to  Bar- 
badoes  or  staying  in  Jamaica,  that  really  she 
could  not  make  up  her  mind,  at  least  not  until 
she  had  seen  her  father.  She  would  be  so  sorry 
if  Mr.  Newcombe  came  to  Spanish  Town  before 
her  father  should  arrive,  or  at  least  before  she 
should  hear  from  him. 

Then  there  was  another  thing  which  added 
to  the  twilight  of  these  cheerful  days,  and  this 
Kate  could  scarcely  understand,  because  she 
could  see  no  reason  why  it  should  affect  her. 
The  Governor,  whom  they  frequently  met  in  the 

400 


AGAIN   DICKORY   WAS    THERE 

course  of  the  pleasant  social  functions  of  the 
town,  looked  troubled,  and  was  not  the  genial 
gentleman  he  used  to  be.  Of  course  he  had  a 
right  to  his  own  private  perplexities  and  annoy- 
ances, but  it  grieved  Kate  to  see  the  change  in 
him.  He  had  always  been  so  cordial  and  so 
cheerful;  he  was  now  just  as  kind  as  ever,  per- 
haps a  little  more  so,  in  his  manner,  but  he  was 
not  cheerful. 

Kate  mentioned  to  her  uncle  the  changed 
demeanour  of  the  Governor,  but  he  could  give 
no  explanation ;  he  had  heard  of  no  political  trou- 
bles, but  supposed  that  family  matters  might 
easily  have  saddened  the  good  man. 

He  himself  was  not  very  cheerful,  for  day 
after  day  brought  nearer  the  time  when  that  un- 
certain Stede  Bonnet  might  arrive  in  Jamaica, 
and  what  would  happen  after  that  no  man  could 
tell.  One  thing  he  greatly  feared,  and  that  was, 
that  his  dear  niece,  Kate,  might  be  taken  away 
from  him.  Dame  Charter  was  not  so  very  cheer- 
ful either.  Only  in  one  way  did  she  believe  in 
Stede  Bonnet,  and  that  was,  that  after  some 
fashion  or  another  he  would  come  between  her 
and  her  bright  dreams  for  her  dear  Dickory. 

And  so  there  were  some  people  in  Spanish 
Town  who  were  not  as  happy  as  they  had  been. 

Still  there  were  dinners  and  little  parties,  and 
society  made  itself  very  pleasant;  and  in  the 
midst  of  them  all  a  ship  came  in  from  Barbadoes, 
bringing  a  letter  from  Martin  Newcombe. 

401 


KATE   BONNET 

A  strange  thing  about  this  letter  was  that  it 
was  addressed  to  Mr.  Delaplaine  and  not  to  Miss 
Kate  Bonnet.  This,  of  course,  proved  the  letter 
must  be  on  business ;  and,  although  he  was  with 
his  little  family  when  he  opened  his  letter,  he 
thought  it  well  to  glance  at  it  before  reading  it 
aloud.  The  first  few  lines  showed  him  that  it 
was  indeed  a  business  letter,  for  it  told  of  the 
death  of  Madam  Bonnet,  and  how  the  writer, 
Martin  Newcombe,  as  a  neighbour  and  friend  of 
the  family,  had  been  called  in  to  take  temporary 
charge  of  her  effects,  and,  having  done  so,  he 
hastened  to  inform  Mr.  Delaplaine  of  his  pro- 
ceedings and  to  ask  advice.  This  letter  he  now 
read  aloud,  and  Kate  and  the  others  were  greatly 
interested  therein,  although  they  cautiously  for- 
bore the  expression  of  any  opinion  which  might 
rise  in  their  minds  regarding  this  turn  of  affairs. 

Having  finished  these  business  details,  Mr. 
Delaplaine  went  on  and  read  aloud,  and  in  the 
succeeding  portion  of  the  letter  Mr.  Newcombe 
begged  Mr.  Delaplaine  to  believe  that  it  was  the 
hardest  duty  of  his  whole  life  to  write  what  he 
was  now  obliged  to  write,  but  that  he  knew  he 
must  do  it,  and  therefore  would  not  hesitate.  At 
this  the  reader  looked  at  his  niece  and  stopped. 

"  Go  on,"  cried  Kate,  her  face  a  little  flushed, 
"  go  on!  " 

The  face  of  Mr.  Delaplaine  was  pale,  and  for 
a  moment  he  hesitated,  then,  with  a  sudden  jerk, 
he  nerved  himself  to  the  effort  and  read  on ;  he 

402 


o 

o 


AGAIN   DICKOEY   WAS    THERE 

had  seen  enough  to  make  him  understand  that 
the  duty  before  him  was  to  read  on. 

Briefly  and  tersely,  but  with  tears  in  the  very 
ink,  so  sad  were  'the  words,  the  writer  assured 
Mr.  Delaplaine  that  his  love  for  his  niece  had 
been,  and  was,  the  overpowering  impulse  of  his 
life;  that  to  win  this  love  he  had  dared  every- 
thing, he  had  hoped  for  everything,  he  had  been 
willing  to  pass  by  and  overlook  everything,  but 
that  now,  and  it  tore  his  heart  to  write  it,  his 
evil  fortune  had  been  too  much  for  him ;  he  could 
do  anything  for  the  sake  of  his  love  that  a  man 
with  respect  for  himself  could  do,  but  there  was 
one  thing  at  which  he  must  stop,  at  which  he 
must  bow  his  head  and  submit  to  his  fate— he 
could  not  marry  the  daughter  of  an  executed 
felon. 

Thus  came  to  that  little  family  group  the 
news  of  the  pirate  Bonnet's  death.  There  was 
more  of  the  letter,  but  Mr.  Delaplaine  did  not 
read  it. 

Kate  did  not  scream,  nor  moan,  nor  faint,  but 
she  sat  up  straight  in  her  chair  and  gazed,  with 
a  wild  intentness,  at  her  uncle.  Xo  one  spoke. 
At  such  a  moment  condolence  or  sympathy  would 
have  been  a  cruel  mockery.  They  were  all  as 
pale  as  chalk.  In  his  heart.  Mr.  Delaplaine  said : 
"  I  see  it  all;  the  Governor  must  have  known, 
and  he  loved  her  so  he  could  not  break  her 
heart." 

In  the  midst  of  the  silence,  in  the  midst  of 

403 


KATE   BONNET 

the  chalky  whiteness  of  their  faces,  in  the  midst 
of  the  blackness  which  was  settling  down  upon 
them,  Kate  Bonnet  still  sat  upright,  a  coldness 
creeping  through  every  part  of  her.  Suddenly 
she  turned  her  head,  and  in  a  voice  of  wild  en- 
treaty she  called  out:  "  Oh,  Dickory,  why  don't 
you  come  to  me!  " 

In  an  instant  Dickory  was  there,  and,  cold 
and  lifeless,  Kate  Bonnet  was  in  his  arms. 


404 


CHAPTER   XXXIX 


THE  BLESSINGS  WHICH  COME  FROM  THE  DEATH 
OF   THE   WICKED 


T  was  three  weeks  after  Mar- 
tin Xewcoinbe's  letter  came 
before  Ben  Greenway  arrived 
in  Spanish  Town.  He  had  had  a  hard  time  to 
get  there,  having  but  little  money  and  no  friends 
to  help  him;  but  he  had  a  strong  heart  and  an 
earnest,  and  so  he  was  bound  to  get  there  at  last; 
and,  although  Kate  saw  no  visitors,  she  saw  him. 
She  was  not  dressed  in  mourning ;  she  could  not 
wear  black  for  herself. 

She  greeted  the  Scotchman  with  earnestness ; 
he  was  a  friend  out  of  the  old  past,  but  she  gave 
him  no  chance  to  speak  first. 

"  Ben,"  she  exclaimed,  "  have  you  a  mes- 
sage for  me !  ' ' 

"  Xo  message,"  he  replied,  "  but  I  hae 
somethin'  on  my  heart  I  wish  to  say  to  ye.  I 
hae  toiled  an '  laboured  an '  hae  striven  wi '  mony 
obstacles  to  get  to  ye  an '  to  say  it. ' ' 

She  looked  at  him,  with  her  brows  knit,  won- 

405 


KATE   BONNET 

dering  if  she  should  allow  him  to  speak;  then, 
with  the  words  scarcely  audible  between  her 
tightly  closed  lips,  she  said :  ' '  -Ben,  what  is  it  !  ' ' 

"  It  is  this,  an'  no  more  nor  less,"  replied 
the  Scotchman;  "  he  was  never  fit  to  be  your 
father,  an'  it  is  not  fit  now  for  ye  to  remember 
him  as  your  father.  I  was  faithful  to  him  to  the 
vera  last,  but  there  was  no  truth  in  him.  It  is 
an  abomination  an'  a  wickedness  for  ye  to  re- 
member him  as  your  father!  " 

Kate  spoke  no  word,  nor  did  she  shed  a  tear. 

"  It  was  my  heart's  desire  ye  should  know 
it,"  said  the  Scotchman,  "  an'  I  came  mony  a 
weary  league  to  tell  ye  so." 

"  Ben,"  said  she,  M  I  think  I  have  known  it 
for  a  long  time,  but  I  would  not  suffer  myself 
to  believe  it ;  but  now,  having  heard  your  words, 
I  am  sure  of  it." 

"  Uncle,"  said  she  an  hour  afterward,  "  I 
have  no  father,  and  I  never  had  one. ' ' 

With  tears  in  his  eyes  he  folded  her  to  his 
breast,  and  peace  began  to  rise  in  his  soul.  Xo 
greater  blessing  can  come  to  really  good  people 
than  the  absolute  disappearance  of  the  wicked. 

And  the  wickedness  which  had  so  long  shad- 
owed and  stained  the  life  of  Kate  Bonnet  was 
now  removed  from  it.  It  was  hard  to  get  away 
from  the  shadow  and  to  wipe  off  the  stain,  but 
she  was  a  brave  girl  and  she  did  it. 

In  this  work  of  her  life— a  work  which  if  not 
accomplished  would  make  that  life  not  worth  the 

406 


BLESSINGS  FROM  DEATH  OF  WICKED 

living— Kate  was  much  helped  by  Dickory;  and 
he  helped  her  by  not  saying  a  word  about  it  or 
ever  allowing  himself,  when  in  her  presence,  to 
remember  that  there  had  been  a  shadow  or  a 
stain.  And  if  he  thought  of  it  at.  all  when  by 
himself,  his  only  feeling  was  one  of  thankful- 
ness that  what  had  happened  had  given  her  to 
him. 

Even  the  Governor  brightened.  He  had 
striven  hard  to  keep  from  Kate  the  news  which 
had  come  to  him  from  Charles  Town,  suppress- 
ing it  in  the  hopes  that  it  might  reach  her  more 
gradually  and  with  less  terrible  effect  than  if  he 
told  it,  but  now  that  he  knew  that  she  knew  it 
the  blessings  which  are  shed  abroad  by  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  wicked  affected  him  also,  and 
he  brightened.  There  were  no  functions  for 
Kate,  but  she  brightened,  striving  with  all  her 
soul  to  have  this  so,  for  her  own  sake  as  well 
as  that  of  others.  As  for  Mr.  Delaplaine,  Dame 
Charter,  and  Dickory,  they  brightened  without 
any  trouble  at  all,  the  disappearance  of  the 
wicked  having  such  a  direct  and  forcible  effect 
upon  them. 

Dickory  Charter,  who  matured  in  a  fashion 
which  made  everybody  forget  that  Kate  Bonnet 
was  eleven  months  his  senior,  entered  into  busi- 
ness with  Mr.  Delaplaine,  and  Jamaica  became 
the  home  of  this  happy  family,  whose  welfare 
was  founded,  as  on  a  rock,  upon  the  disappear- 
ance of  the  wicked. 

407 


KATE   BONNET 

Here,  then,  was  a  brave  girl  who  had  loved 
her  father  with  a  love  which  was  more  than  that 
of  a  daughter,  which  was  the  love  of  a  mother, 
of  a  wife ;  who  had  loved  him  in  prosperity  and 
in  times  of  sorrow  and  of  shame;  who  had  re- 
joiced like  an  angel  whenever  he  turned  his  foot- 
steps into  the  right  way,  and  who  had  mourned 
like  an  angel  whenever  he  went  wrong.  She  had 
longed  to  throw  her  arms  around  her  father's 
neck,  to  hold  him  to  her,  and  thus  keep  off  the 
hangman's  noose.  Her  courage  and  affection 
never  waned  until  those  arms  were  rudely  thrust 
aside  and  their  devoted  owner  dastardly  re- 
pulsed. 

True  to  herself  and  to  him,  she  loved  her 
father  so  long  as  there  was  anything  parental 
in  him  which  she  might  love ;  and,  true  to  her- 
self, when  he  had  left  her  nothing  she  might  love, 
she  bowed  her  head  and  suffered  him,  as  he 
passed  out  of  his  life,  to  pass  out  of  her  own. 


408 


CHAPTER   XL 


CAPTAIN   ICHABOD    PUTS  THE   CASE 


ss^ — : — 

1  %;:-■:.  -■"'.■ 

X  the  river  at  Bridgetown  lay 
the  good  brig  King  and  Queen, 
just  arrived  from  Jamaica.  On  her  deck  was 
an  impatient  young  gentleman,  leaning  over  the 
rail  and  watching  the  approach  of  a  boat,  with 
two  men  rowing  and  a  passenger  in  the  stern. 

This  impatient  young  man  was  Dickory 
Charter,  that  morning  arrived  at  Bridgetown 
and  not  yet  having  been  on  shore.  He  came  for 
the  purpose  of  settling  some  business  affairs, 
partly  on  account  of  Miss  Kate  Bonnet  and 
partly  for  his  mother. 

As  the  boat  came  nearer,  Dickory  recognised 
one  of  the  men  who  were  rowing  and  hailed 
him. 

1 '  Heigho !  Tom  Hilyer, ' "  he  cried,  ' '  I  am 
right  glad  to  see  you  on  this  river  again.  I  want 
a  boat  to  go  to  my  mother's  house;  know  you 
of  one  at  liberty?  " 

The  man  ceased  rowing  for  a  moment  and 
then  addressed  the  passenger  in  the  stern, 
27  409 


KATE   BONNET 

who,  having  heard  what  he  had  to  say,  nodded 
briefly. 

"  Well,  well,  Dick  Charter!  "  cried  out  the 
man,  "  and  have  you  come  back  as  governor  of 
the  colony?  You  look  fine  enough,  anyway. 
But  if  you  want  a  boat  to  go  to  your  mother's 
old  home,  you  can  have  a  seat  in  this  one; 
we're  going  there,  and  our  passenger  does  not 
object. ' ' 

"  Pull  up  here,"  cried  Dickory,  and  in  a 
moment  he  had  dropped  into  the  bow  of  the  boat, 
which  then  proceeded  on  its  way. 

The  man  in  the  stern  was  fairly  young,  hand- 
some, sunburned,  and  well  dressed  in  a  suit  of 
black.  When  Dickory  thanked  him  for  allowing 
him  to  share  his  boat  the  passenger  in  the  stern 
nodded  his  head  with  a  jerk  and  an  air  which 
indicated  that  he  took  the  incident  as  a  matter 
of  course,  not  to  be  further  mentioned  or  con- 
sidered. 

The  men  who  rowed  the  boat  were  good  oars- 
men, but  they  were  not  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  cove,  especially  at  low  tide,  and  pres- 
ently they  ran  upon  a  sand-bar.  Then  uprose 
the  passenger  in  the  stern  and  began  to  swear 
with  an  ease  and  facility  which  betokened  long 
practice.  Dickory  did  not  swear,  but  he  knit  his 
brows  and  berated  himself  for  not  having  taken 
the  direction  of  the  course  into  his  own  hands, 
he  who  knew  the  river  and  the  cove  so  well. 
The  tide  was  rising,  but  Dickory  was  too  im- 

410 


CAPTAIN  ICHABOD  PUTS  THE  CASE 

patient  to  sit  still  and  wait  until  it  should  be 
high  enough  to  float  the  boat.  That  was  his  old 
home,  that  little  house  at  the  head  of  the  cove, 
and  he  wanted  to  get  there,  he  wanted  to  see  it. 
Part  of  the  business  which  brought  him  to  Bar- 
badoes  concerned  that  little  house.  With  a  sud- 
den movement  he  made  a  dive  at  his  shoes  and 
stockings  and  speedily  had  them  lying  at  the 
bottom  of  the  boat.  Then  he  stepped  overboard 
and  waded  towards  the  shore.  In  some  of  the 
deeper  places  he  wetted  the  bottom  of  his 
breeches,  but  he  did  not  mind  that.  The  pas- 
senger in  the  stern  sat  down,  but  he  continued 
to  swear. 

Presently  Dickory  was  on  the  dry  sand,  and 
running  up  to  that  cottage  door.  A  little  back 
from  the  front  of  the  house  and  in  the  shade 
there  was  a  bench,  and  on  this  bench  there  sat 
a  girl,  reading.  She  lifted  her  head  in  surprise 
as  Dickory  approached,  for  his  bare  feet  had 
made  no  noise,  then  she  stood  up  quickly,  blush- 
ing. 

"  You!  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Yes,"  cried  Dickory;  "  and  you  look  just 
the  same  as  when  you  first  put  your  head  above 
the  bushes  and  talked  to  me." 

"  Except  that  I  am  more  suitably  clothed," 
she  said. 

And  she  was  entirely  right,  for  her  present 
dress  was  feminine,  and  extremely  becoming. 

Dickory  did  not  wish  to  say  anything  more 

411 


KATE   BONNET 

on  this  subject,  and  so  he  remarked:  "  I  have 
just  arrived  at  the  town,  and  I  came  directly 
here. ' ' 

Lucilla  blushed  again. 

i '  This  is  my  old  home, ' '  added  Dickory. 

"  But  you  knew  we  were  here?  "  she  asked, 
with  a  hesitating  look  of  inquiry. 

* '  Oh,  yes, ' '  said  he,  "  I  knew  that  the  house 
had  been  let  to  your  father." 

Now  she  changed  colour  twice— first  red,  then 
white.  ' '  Are  you, ' '  she  said,  ' '  I  mean  .  .  .  the 
other,  is  she " 

' '  I  left  her  in  Jamaica, ' '  said  Dickory,  ' '  but 
I  am  going  to  marry  her." 

For  a  moment  the  rim  of  her  hat  got  between 
the  sun  and  her  face,  and  one  could  not  decide 
very  well  whether  her  countenance  was  red  or 
white. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  find  you  here,"  said 
Dickory,  "  and  may  I  see  your  father  and 
mother!  " 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  but  they  are  both  in  the 
field  with  my  young  sister.  But  who  is  this  man 
walking  up  the  shore!  And  is  that  the  boat  you 
came  in!  " 

"  It  is, "  said  Dickory.  * '  We  stuck  fast,  but 
I  was  in  such  a  hurry  that  I  waded  ashore.  I 
don't  know  the  man;  he  had  hired  the  boat,  and 
kindly  took  me  in,  I  was  in  such  haste  to  get 
here. ' ' 

For  a  moment  Lucilla  bent  her  eyes  on  the 

412 


CAPTAIN  ICHABOD  PUTS  THE  CASE 

ground.  ' '  In  such  haste  to  get  here !  ' '  she  said 
to  herself;  then  she  raised  her  head  and  ex- 
claimed :  k '  Oh,  I  know  that  man ;  he  is  the  pirate 
captain  who  captured  the  Belinda,  which  after- 
ward brought  us  here."  And  with  both  hands 
outstretched,  she  ran  to  meet  him. 

The  face  of  Captain  Ichabod  glowed  with 
irrepressible  delight ;  one  might  have  thought  he 
was  about  to  embrace  the  young  woman,  not- 
withstanding the  presence  of  Dickory  and  the 
two  boatmen,  but  he  did  everything  he  could  do 
before  witnesses  to  express  his  joy. 

Dickory  now  stepped  up  to  Captain  Ichabod. 
"  Oh,  now  I  know  you,"  cried  he,  and  he  held 
out  his  hand.  "  You  were  very  kind  indeed  to 
my  friends,  and  they  have  spoken  much  about 
you.  This  is  my  old  home;  this  is  the  house 
where  I  was  born." 

"  Yes,  yes,  indeed,"  said  Captain  Ichabod, 
1  k  a  very  good  house,  bedad,  a  very  good  house. ' ' 
But  hesitating  a  little  and  addressing  Lucilla: 
' '  You  don 't  live  here  alone,  do  you  ?  ' ' 

The  girl  laughed. 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  cried.  "  My  father  and 
mother  will  be  here  presently ;  in  fact,  I  see  them 
coming. ' ' 

"  That's  very  well,"'  said  Ichabod,  "  very 
well  indeed.  It's  quite  right  that  they  should 
live  with  you.  I  remember  them  now ;  they  were 
on  the  ship  with  you." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Lucilla,  still  laughing. 

413 


KATE    BOXXET 


i  t 


Quite  right,  quite  right,"  said  Iehabod; 
"  that  was  very  right." 

1 '  I  will  go  meet  your  father  and  mother  aud 
the  dear  little  Lena ;  I  remember  them  so  well, ' ' 
said  Dickory.  He  started  to  run  off  in  spite  of 
his  bare  feet,  but  he  had  gone  but  a  little  way 
when  Lucilla  stopped  him.  She  looked  up  at 
him,  and  this  time  her  face  was  white. 

"  Are  you  sure,"  said  she,  "  that  everything 
is  settled  between  you  and  that  other  girl?  ' 

"  Very  sure,"  said  Dickory,  looking  kindly 
upon  her  and  remembering  how  pretty  she  had 
looked  when  he  first  saw  her  face  over  the 
bushes. 

She  did  not  say  anything,  but  turned  and 
walked  back  to  Captain  Iehabod.  She  found 
that  tall  gentleman  somewhat  agitated;  he 
seemed  to  have  a  great  deal  on  his  mind  which 
he  wished  to  say,  feeling,  at  the  same  time,  that 
he  ought  to  say  everything  first. 

"  That's  your  father  and  mother,"  said  he, 
"  stopping  to  talk  to  the  young  man  who  was 
born  here?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  "  and  they  will  be 
with  us  presently. ' ' 

"  Very  good,  very  good,  that's  quite  right," 
said  Captain  Iehabod  hurriedly;  "  but  before 
they  come,  I  want  to  say— that  is,  I  would  like 
you  to  know— that  I  have  sold  my  ship.  I  am 
not  a  pirate  any  longer,  I  am  a  sugar-planter, 
bedad.    Beg  your  pardon !    That  is,  I  intend  to 

414 


CAPTAIN  ICHABOD  PUTS  THE  CASE 

be  one.  You  remember  that  you  once  talked  to 
me  about  sugar-planting  in  Barbadoes,  and  so 
I  am  here.  I  want  to  find  a  good  sugar  planta- 
tion, to  buy  it,  and  live  on  it ;  I  heard  that  you 
were  stopping  on  this  side  of  the  river,  and  so 
I  came  here. " 

"  But  there  is  no  sugar  plantation  here," 
said  Lucilla,  very  demurely. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Ichabod,  "  oh,  no,  of  course 
not ;  but  you  are  here,  and  I  wanted  to  find  you ; 
a  sugar  plantation  would  be  of  no  use  without 
you." 

She  looked  at  him,  still  very  demurely.  "  I 
don't  quite  understand  you,"  she  said.  She 
turned  her  head  a  little  and  saw  that  her  family 
and  Dickory  were  slowly  moving  towards  the 
house.  She  knew  that  with  diffident  persons  no 
time  should  be  lost,  for,  if  interrupted,  it  often 
happened  that  they  did  not  begin  again. 

' '  Then  I  suppose, ' !  she  said,  her  face  turned 
up  towards  him,  but  her  eyes  cast  down,  "  that 
you  are  going  to  say  that  you  would  like  to 
marry  me?  " 

1 '  Of  course,  of  course, ' '  exclaimed  Ichabod ; 
"  I  thought  you  knew  that  that  is  what  I  came 
here  for,  bedad. ' ' 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  Lucilla,  turning  her 
eyes  to  the  face  of  the  man  she  had  dreamed  of 
in  many  happy  nights.  "  No,  no,"  she  added 
quickly,  "  you  must  not  kiss  me;  they  are  all 
coming,  and  there  are  the  two  boatmen." 

415 


KATE    BONNET 

He  did  not  kiss  her,  but  later  he  made  up 
for  the  omission. 

The  moment  Mrs.  Mander  saw  Captain  Icha- 
bod  and  her  daughter  standing  together  she 
knew  exactly  what  had  happened;  she  had  no- 
ticed things  on  board  the  Belinda.  She  hurried 
up  to  Lucilla  and  drew  her  aside. 

"  My  dear,"  she  whispered,  with  a  fright- 
ened face,  "  you  cannot  marry  a  pirate;  you 
never,  never  can!  " 

"  Dear  mother,"  said  Lucilla,  "  he  is  not  a 
pirate;  he  has  sold  his  ship  and  is  going  to  be 
a  sugar-planter. ' ' 

Now  they  all  came  up  and  heard  these  words 
of  Lucilla. 

1 '  Yes,  indeed, ' '  said  Captain  Ichabod,  ' '  you 
may  not  suppose  it,  but  your  daughter  and  I 
are  about  to  marry,  and  will  plant  sugar  to- 
gether. Now,  I  want  to  buy  a  plantation.  "Where 
is  that  young  man  who  was  born  here,  be- 
dad?  " 

Dickory  advanced,  laughing.  Here  was  a  fine 
opportunity,  a  miraculous  opportunity,  of  dis- 
posing of  the  Bonnet  estate,  which  was  part  of 
the  business  which  had  brought  him  here.  So 
he  told  the  beaming  captain  that  he  knew  of  a 
fine  plantation  up  the  river,  which  he  thought 
would  suit  him. 

"  Very  good,"  said  Captain  Ichabod.  "  I 
have  a  boat  here ;  let  us  go  and  look  at  the  place, 
and  if  it  suits  us  I  will  buy  it,  bedad. ' ' 

416 


CAPTAIN  ICHABOD  PUTS  THE  CASE 

So  with  Mrs.  Mander  and  her  husband  be- 
side her,  and  with  Lucilla  and  the  captain  by 
her,  the  boat  was  rowed  up  the  river,  with  Dick- 
ory  and  young  Lena  in  the  bow. 

"When  the  boat  reached  the  Bonnet  estate  it 
was  run  up  on  the  shore  near  the  shady  spot 
where  Kate  Bonnet  had  once  caught  a  fish. 
Then  they  all  stepped  out  upon  the  little  beach, 
even  the  oarsmen  made  the  boat  fast  and  joined 
the  party,  who  started  to  walk  up  to  the  house. 
Suddenly  Captain  Ichabod  stopped  and  said  to 
Mr.  Mander:  "  I  don't  think  I  care  to  walk  up 
that  hill,  you  know;  and  if  you  and  your  good 
wife  will  look  over  that  house  and  cast  your  eyes 
about  the  place,  I  will  buy  it.  if  you  say  so :  you 
know  a  good  deal  more  about  such  things  than 
I  do,  bedad.  I  suppose,  of  course,  that  will  suit 
you?  "  he  said  to  Lucilla. 

It  suited  Lucilla  exactly.  They  sat  in  the 
shade  in  the  very  place  where  Kate  had  sat 
when  she  saw  Master  Xewcombe  crossing  the 
bridge. 

A  small  boat  came  down  the  river,  rowed  by 
a  young  man.  As  he  passed  the  old  Bonnet  prop- 
erty he  carelessly  cast  his  eyes  shoreward,  but 
his  heart  took  no  interest  in  what  he  saw  there. 
What  did  it  matter  to  him  if  two  lovers  sat  there 
in  the  shade,  close  to  the  river's  brink?  His 
sad  soul  now  took  no  interest  in  lovers.  He  had 
just  been  up  the  river  to  arrange  for  the  sale 
of  his  plantation  to  one  of  his  neighbours.    He 

417 


KATE    BONNET 

had  decided  to  leave  the  island  of  Barbadoes 
and  to  return  to  England. 

The  house  suited  Captain  Ichabod  exactly, 
when  Mrs.  Mander  told  him  about  it,  and  Lu- 
cilla  agreed  with  him  because  she  was  always 
accustomed  to  trust  her  mother  in  such  things. 

So  they  all  got  into  the  boat  and  rowed  back 
to  Dickory 's  old  home,  and  on  the  way  Captain 
Ichabod  told  Dickory  that  when  they  returned 
together  to  the  town  he  would  pay  him  for  the 
plantation,  having  brought  specie  sufficient  for 
the  purpose. 

It  was  a  gay  party  in  the  boat  as  they  rowed 
down  the  river ;  it  was  a  gay  party  at  the  house 
when  they  reached  it,  and  they  would  have  all 
taken  supper  together  had  the  Manders  been  pre- 
pared for  such  hospitality ;  but  they  were  poor, 
having  taken  the  place  upon  a  short  lease  and 
having  had  but  few  returns  so  far.  But  they 
were  all  going  to  live  at  the  old  Bonnet  place, 
and  happiness  shone  over  everything.  It  was 
twilight,  and  the  two  young  men  were  about  to 
walk  down  to  the  boat,  one  of  them  promising 
to  come  again  early  in  the  morning,  when  Lucilla 
approached  Dickory. 

"  Where  are  you  going  to  live  with  that 
girl?  "  she  asked  in  a  low  voice. 

"  In  Jamaica/ '  said  he. 

"  I  am  glad  of  it, ' '  she  replied,  quite  frankly. 

They  were  well  content,  those  Jamaica  peo- 

418 


CAPTAIN  ICHABOD  PUTS  THE  CASE 

pie  when  Ben  Greenway  came  to  live  with  them. 
It  had  been  proposed  at  one  time  that  he  should 
go  to  his  old  Bridgetown  home  and  take  charge 
of  the  place  as  he  used  to,  but  the  good  Scotch- 
man demurred  to  this. 

•  "I  hae  served  ane  master  before  he  became 
a  pirate,"  he  said,  "  an'  I  don't  want  to  try 
anither  after  he  has  finished  bein'  ane.  It  I 
serve  ony  mon,  let  him  be  one  wha  has  been  right- 
eous, wha  is  righteous  now,  an'  wha  will  continue 
in  righteousness."  . 

«  Then  serve  Mr.  Delaplaine,"  said  Dickory. 

The  Manders  soon  removed  to  the  little  house 
where  Dickory  was  born.  The  mansion  of  their 
daughter  and  her  husband  was  a  hospitable  place 
and  a  lively,  but  the  life  there  was  so  wayward, 
erratic,  and  eccentric  that  it  did  not  suit  their 
«nher  lives  and  the  education  of  their  young 
daS'hter  So  they  dwelt  contentedly  m  the 
tage  at  the  head  of  the  cove,  and  there  was  much 
rowing  up  and  down  the  river. 

It  was  upon  a  fine  morning  that  the  ex-pirate 
Iehabod  thus  addressed  a  citizen  of  the  town: 

"  Yes  sir  I  know  well  who  once  lived  in  the 
house  I  own.  I  knew  the  man  myself;  I  knew 
him  at  Belize.  He  was  a  dastardly  knave,  and 
would  have  played  false  to  the  sun,  the  moon, 
and  the  stars  had  they  shown  him  an  oppoitu- 
nity,  bedad.    But  I  also  knew  his  daughter;  she 

419 


KATE   BONNET 

sailed  on  my  ship  for  many  days,  and  her  pres- 
ence blessed  the  very  boards  she  trod  on.  She 
is  a  most  noble  lady ;  and  if  you  will  not  admit, 
sir,  that  her  sweet  spirit  and  pure  soul  have  not 
banished  from  this  earth  every  taint  of  wicked- 
ness left  here  by  her  father,  then,  sir,  bedad, 
stand  where  you  are  and  draw!  " 


(15) 


THE  END 


420 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY, 
BERKELEY 


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DEC    9   i 


tk   H   }g?i 


3EC  IB  1936 


15m-4,'24 


